Digimon Academy 02: Return of the Demon Lords
by TheGreatElisaMousy
Summary: Ten years after the final battle, an old enemy has returned. Chiharu and Mayu, now teachers at Digimon Academy, must lead a team of new Digi-Destined, each partnered with one of the remaining Demon Lords. Winning the last battle came at a price. What will they have to sacrifice this time? MUCH ANGST.
1. After All This Time

**I'm glad to be back, all of you, and am pleased to present: Digimon Academy 02: Return of the Demon Lords!**

**Disclaimer: I own the plot, and some of the human characters. The others belong to: Rambonata, Skullmasta, Zel Nightale, Da-Tenshi Setsuna, Orig, Westlyking, JonnyKlutch, Hellion Prime, JediPadawanJess, Reddisk, YaoiCupcakeluver, littlelilygirl1, Ein Sof Ish, and DoubleCrescentMoon. Thank you for all of your submissions. PS: This is sort of a 'prologue episode', so there won't be any new Digi-Destined as of yet, though some Ocs may appear briefly.**

_**Chiharu:**__"It's been ten years since our fight with Millenniummon. We managed to seal it back in the Millennium Gate, but at a price. We lost one of our fellow Digi-Destined and close friend, Hideaki Kokawa. He had to give up his life to become the seal on the Gate. As soon as Tsukiko graduated, two years afterwards, she left the country to be a teacher in America. I think she just wanted to get away from a place with such bad memories… Satoru, who graduated at the same time, left for England. Yuichi, graduating after us, studied becoming a teacher early, and now he's in the British branch. Mayu and I stayed, though. Aoki-sensei went into early retirement, and I took her job as the Digimon History teacher. Mayu took Nishimura-sensei's job as the teacher of Technical Abilities. It's been ten years since that fateful day, and we all hoped, and still hope, that that was the end of it. Still, even now, I can help but worry that this isn't over yet…"_

* * *

><p>" … and when the Digi-Destined arrived to try to stop Apocalymon, what happened?" twenty-three year old Chiharu Miura asked her class. Several students raised their hands. "Yes, Reddisk?"<p>

Kisa Reddisk, a 13 year old girl with black hair and golden eyes, answered, "Apocalymon sent all of the humans into their own nightmare worlds, where they had to face their fears and pasts until their Digimon came to save them."

"Very good," Chiharu said with a small smile. She'd taught her class well. They'd all learned by now to speak as though Chiharu herself had never been one of the Digi-Destined. It was too painful to think about, sometimes, and she was blessed with students that happened to be very understanding of this fact. "And how, exactly, did they get out? Basset?"

Xavier Basset, a boy with black hair and green eyes, replied, "When their Digimon showed up, X-Antibody cards appeared, and they used those to get out."

Chiharu nodded, pleased. Her C-Class this year was full of bright students, making her job much easier. The bell rang, signaling the dismissal of class for the day. "Have a good day, everyone, and remember, chapter 18's homework is due tomorrow." As soon as the students were all out of the room, the brunette woman let her cheerful smile slip.

"Ya can't keep beatin' yerself up over it," Beelzemon told her for the twelfth time that day. "You know it's what we had to do."

"There had to be some other way…" Chiharu protested. They'd had this conversation every year, on the same day for ten years. It was anniversary of the day they'd won… and lost.

"We can't change what happened," the Demon Lord of Gluttony said, exasperated. When would his partner learn that it had never been her fault? "Anyway, you think Tsukiko's gonna make it this year?"

"I hope so," Chiharu said softly. "Of course, she hasn't shown in the last four."

"All we can do is hope, I guess," Beelzemon muttered.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Here we are…" the twenty-six year old woman said, stepping outside of the airport. She felt a large hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?" the large Digimon behind her asked. The woman hesitated.

"I have to be," she told him. "It's been too long." She turned her gaze in the direction she knew Digimon Academy was. "I need to face it some day."

"I'll always be here for you," the Digimon said supportively.

"I know," the woman said softly, starting to walk. "I know…"

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Is it just me, or did Miura-sensei seem a little… off, today?" Xavier asked, walking with the other C-Class students to their next class. Kisa and another C-Class student, Jun Okamoto, stopped and stared at him for a second. "What?" Xavier asked.

"You mean you don't _know_?" Kisa asked, incredulous.

"You don't know what today is?" Jun asked, startled. He usually stayed out of other people's business if he could help it, but the kid needed to know.

"Tuesday?" the black-haired boy asked, confused.

"Today's the tenth anniversary of the battle with Millenniummon!" Kisa exclaimed. "Now, I know you haven't been here for a full year yet," she started, "but Miura-sensei is always a little off on the anniversary."

"It's no wonder, since she was the leader, and could have stopped him from doing it!" Dracmon, Kisa's sometimes loudmouthed partner said.

"Dracmon!" Kisa hissed. "You've read the chapter, you know there wasn't any choice!" She smacked him lightly on the head.

"Owww," the Digimon said.

"Drama queen."

"Hey!" Dracmon said. He sighed. "I _meant_, that's probably what she feels like, so _of course_ she's going to feel guilty."

"Then why didn't you say that in the beginning?" Centarumon, Jun's partner, asked.

"Sorry," Dracmon muttered.

"Alright, break it up, you two," Dobermon said good-naturedly.

"So, Midorikawa-sensei is probably feeling the same way, then?" Xavier asked.

"For the most part, but not nearly as intensely," Jun informed him.

Xavier looked back at the door they'd just exited. "Poor Miura-sensei…"

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Mayu watched the clock, waiting for the school day to end so that she could meet up with the others. Her classes were done for the day, but Chiharu had a class during the last period, so there would really be no point in leaving.

"I wonder if Tsukiko's going to show up this year…" the blonde muttered, completely unaware that her friend had had this conversation with her own partner earlier.

"Who knows?" Lucemon replied with a sigh. "It was harder on her than it was on most of us. He _was_ her best friend, after all."

"I hate this," Mayu said softly. "I hate that we all just had to split up like this."

"Tsukiko would have been miserable," Lucemon reasoned. "She had to get away from here."

"But what about Satoru and Yuichi?"

"Well, Kono picked up on people's feelings easily, and Motonari was too young to handle it," a voice said from the doorway. Mayu looked up to see her old teacher, Makoto Nakayama. He still held his job as the Math and Battle Strategy teacher, even after all these years. And he still remained both Mayu's and Chiharu's favorite member of the staff.

"When did you get here?" the younger teacher asked.

"Just a minute or two ago," Nakayama replied. "I just wanted to remind you that grades are due tomorrow."

Mayu looked at her old teacher for a moment. "Liar," she said simply. "You just wanted to know how I'm doing."

Nakayama laughed. "Busted." He turned serious. "So, how are you?"

"It still hurts," the woman admitted, "but I'm sure it's nothing compared to what Chiharu's going through. Have you talked to her yet?"

Nakayama shook his head. "I haven't had the chance to." The bell rang. "And now I guess you should be off." He gave her a sad smile. "Tell the others I said hi."

"Will do."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Chiharu leaned against the wall next to the gate of the Academy, Beelzemon right next to her. She checked her watch just as Mayu ran over.

"We good?" the brunette asked, earning a nod. Both women, followed by their Demon Lord partners, headed out, going to the park.

On occasion, people would stare, and it was no wonder. For many, many years, Digimon from the Academy never went outside the school's walls. Many people feared Digimon, and thus, it was only natural that, to avoid conflict, they were kept separate. However, after the incident ten years ago, people were a little more accepting. Digital Gates had opened all around the world, and the Academies from all different countries helped to subdue the threats. There was a news report when the Chosen Children came home, and so everyone recognized the Digi-Destined and Digimon that had saved both worlds. Thus, the world became at least a bit more accepting to Digimon, and welcomed those partnered with the Digi-Destined with open arms.

"There they are!" Mayu said, pointing, and sure enough, there sat twenty-six year old Satoru Kono with his partner Lilamon, and twenty-year old Yuichi Motonari with his partner Wizardmon. The women walked over to them.

"Still no Tsukiko?" Chiharu asked, causing both men to shake their heads.

"Haven't seen her yet," Yuichi replied. "But we're trying to be optimistic."

The leader sighed. That meant that, more likely than not, Tsukiko Takaki was going to be a no-show again this year.

"So, how have you been?" Mayu asked. "How's life abroad?"

"Well, it's pretty cool," Yuichi said with a smile. "I'm having a little trouble getting the students to listen to me."

"I can understand why, Mr. 'I Graduated Early To Get My Ass Out Of Here Sooner And Became A Teacher When I Was Nineteen,'" a familiar female voice said. All present looked up to see a teal-haired woman walking toward them, followed by a large black wolf Digimon on two legs.

"Oh my god, you made it!" Mayu exclaimed with a bright smile.

"Yeah," Tsukiko said with a small smile, but they could all tell it was forced. It was hard for her to come here, but it had been far too long, and she missed the others even more than she despised being back in Japan. She needed this. "So, how have you all been?"

"We were just talking about that, actually," Satoru informed her. "Apparently, none of the British kids are taking Yuichi seriously."

"The older students treat me like I'm their classmate," the black-haired man said.

Tsukiko laughed. "Well, that's what you get for becoming a teacher this young."

Despite being a grown man, the younger adult stuck his tongue out at the woman.

"Oh, real mature," Satoru said with a small laugh.

"How's America been treating you these last four years?" Chiharu asked, trying to hide the bitter edge to her voice. She knew Tsukiko had her reasons for leaving, but that didn't mean she wasn't still angry that she had stopped coming altogether.

"Pretty good," Tsukiko replied. She could tell Chiharu was a little pissed, but if the brunette wasn't going to bring it up, neither was she. "American food is the best. I would have brought some, but you know airport security…"

"Yeah," Lilamon said. "They almost didn't let me on the plane." She frowned, but everyone else laughed.

"I had to show them my old student ID," Satoru said with a small laugh. "You should have seen them when they realized who we were!"

"I can imagine," Mayu said with a laugh.

"So what have you guys been up to, here in Japan?" ShadowWereGarurumon asked.

"The usual," Chiharu replied. "Nothing too exciting on our end."

"How's Hiroshi?" Lilamon teased.

Despite her current mood, Chiharu blushed. "He's with his family. His sister was in a bus accident."

"Is she okay?" Wizardmon asked, concerned.

"Well," their old leader replied, "she's stable now, but it's going to take a long time to recover." She sighed. "He's probably going to be gone for another couple of months."

Beelzemon watched his partner carefully. She was getting really good at pretending that she was happy, but, having been partners for a little over ten years, Beelzemon was pretty damn good at being able to tell how Chiharu was feeling, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. And while she was being nice, and even laughing, the Demon Lord of Gluttony knew that she was still very pissed at Tsukiko. They'd had no communication with her for four years. Chiharu and Hiroshi had gotten married two years ago, even though Chiharu kept her last name. She'd sent an invitation to the older woman, but she never showed. That had really upset her.

They felt an ever-so-slight tremor beneath them, and when Chiharu's D-Agent beeped, the five adults gave each other concerned looks. Chiharu answered. "What's up?"

"We have a problem," Nakayama's voice carried through the Digivice.

"Let me guess," she groaned. "A Gate opened?"

"Got it in one," the older teacher replied.

"How many?"

"Ten SaberLeomon," he informed her.

"We're on our way," Chiharu replied before hooking the D-Agent to her bag and standing. "Alright, guys, let's go."

Luckily, the park wasn't too far from the school. If this had been back in the day, they'd have been able to travel like they did in the Digital World. But Yuichi was too big for Wizardmon's staff, and while Lucemon and Beelzemon were probably strong enough to carry the weight of their partners, the humans didn't want to burden them like that.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

When they arrived, the students were making their way to the dorms. There had been enough drills, coupled with the fact that two former Digi-Destined were there, that the students of Digimon Academy could handle a crisis like this with at least a decent level of calm.

"There are ten of them, so we each take two?" Chiharu asked.

"You got it, Fearless Leader," Mayu replied with a small smile, using her old nickname for the brunette.

Chiharu took out her D-Agent to see where their opponents were. "Alright," she started, "Satoru, you can take the two by the cafeteria. Yuichi, the ones closing in on the dorms. Mayu, I want you to go after the two by the Science room. Tsukiko, you take the gym, and I'll take out the two by the Team Battling room."

"Got it," they all said before going their separate ways. They were falling back into their old rhythm again.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Satoru and Lilamon made it to the cafeteria easily. As soon as they got there, they saw that it was trashed. It would take days to clean up. Satoru glanced down at his Digivice as the two large Digimon turned his way. "SaberLeomon," he read. "Mega Level. Attacks: Howling Crusher and Twin Fang."

"Piece of cake," Lilamon said with a smile.

"Just to be on the safe side…" Satoru started, slipping a card out of his pocket. "Digital Enhancement. Digivolve: Connect!"

"Lilamon Digivolve to… Rosemon!"

Rosemon watched the two Mega Digimon in front of her as they sized her up. While they did so, she couldn't help but feel the nostalgia from the old days. Digimon breaking through into the Academy, Chiharu taking charge… It was almost like they were kids again. Except… "Rose Spear!" she yelled before they could attack first. The whip wrapped itself around the neck of one of the SaberLeomon, but the other sank its jaws into the whip, pulling on it. Rosemon let go before it could pull her, too. Of course, now she was without her weapon.

"Twin Fang!" the first SaberLeomon, now free of the whip, attacked. Rosemon dodged to the side just in time as it missed by mere inches.

"These guys are fast!" she informed her partner.

"I got that," the man replied, pulling out another card. "Digital Enhancement. Speed: Connect!" As soon as the beam of light from his D-Control made it to Rosemon, she could feel every byte of data in her body vibrate at nearly impossible speeds. She burst forward and picked up her whip before either SaberLeomon could figure out what was going on. She spun to gain momentum and shot the whip out at the second SaberLeomon.

"Rose Spear!" she attacked again. As soon as the whip wrapped around the Digimon's neck, she spun circles around it, making the grip tighter by the moment. But, just as she was about to delete it, the other Mega slammed into her side, sending her crashing into a wall. She rubbed her head as the Speed card wore off, and looked at her hand to see the data fizzing in and out. She was out of practice, and her Mega form wasn't going to hold. She Degenerated back to Lilamon.

"What happened?" Satoru asked his partner worriedly.

"I'm just out of practice," she replied, standing.

"I thought you said this would be a piece of cake," the violet-haired human commented. He received a glare from his partner.

"Maybe it was a piece of fruit cake, then," she retorted, causing the man to laugh.

"Well, then let's pound this fruit cake!" Satoru said with a smile, once again holding a card. "Digital Enhancement. X-Antibody: Connect!"

Lilamon grinned as the strength returned to her. She turned back to the two SaberLeomon that were giving her so much trouble. "Lilac Dagger!" she yelled, and what looked like a glowing dagger with a lily on the end slid out of the pink layer on her arm into her hand. She spun and tossed it at the Mega that she'd almost deleted before. It hit the mark, right between its eyes, and destroyed it. "How do you like me now?" she taunted the remaining one.

"Howling Crusher!" it yelled, darting forward and reaching both front paws out. Lilamon backed up at the last second, sticking her tongue out.

"Gonna have to do better than that!" she yelled.

"Lilamon," Satoru started.

"Sorry, Satoru," she said. "Marvel Shot!" The attack hit the mark, making SaberLeomon jump back. "Lilac Dagger!" As soon as the X-Antibody exclusive attack hit, the Mega disappeared.

"I hope the others aren't having too much trouble," Satoru commented.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Yuichi and Wizardmon headed straight for Dorm D, where the D-Agent showed the SaberLeomon were. Of course. They _would_ have to pick the weakest students to attack. When they arrived, they saw the Megas barring the path for one R-Class student and his partner, Veemon, to the dorm. The kid had shaggy sky blue hair that had clearly been dyed. He tried to put on a brave face, but it was clear that he was nervous about this two on one Mega vs. Rookie match up. Veemon looked like he was ready to attack.

"Come on, Wizardmon, we gotta hurry!" Yuichi said, pulling out his D-Agent. "Digital Enhancement. Warp Digivolve: Connect!"

"Wizardmon Warp Digivolve to… Pharaohmon!"

The fifteen year old boy looked back, startled. He didn't recognize the young man, but he knew that Pharaohmon was the Mega form of one of the Digi-Destined's partners.

"You're going to want to back away," Pharaohmon warned the boy and his Digimon. Both complied, and the SaberLeomon eyed them as they moved. "Fist of Nile!" he attacked, finally drawing the attention of the enemy. He hit one straight in the face, which sent it back, crashing against the dorm. The building was solid enough, but Yuichi knew that the impact would probably be terrifying the students.

"Hey, Pharaohmon?" he called. "Try to get them away from the building. We're trying to _save_ those kids, not drop the building on them!"

"When did you get to be so sarcastic?" Pharaohmon commented. When his partner had still been just a child, he was so sweet an innocent. Now, while he was still kind, he'd somehow picked up the sarcasm of the others, even though they'd spent years away from them all, only reuniting once a year. He blamed that M-Class student from England, Piper.

"Talk later, fight now," the young teacher suggested. "Digital Ability. Andromon's Lightning Blade: Connect!"

The energy gathered in Pharaohmon's hand, forming a blade the protruded from his arm. "Lightning Blade!" he yelled, shooting the energy forward, straight at the second SaberLeomon at just the right angle, sending it sliding to the side, away from the dorm building. The first was on its feet again, and clearly pissed off.

"Twin Fang!" it yelled, rushing straight at Pharaohmon, biting him in the shoulder. The Mega hissed in pain, but despite his predicament, he let out a small chuckle.

"You made this much easier," he told it. "Necromist!" At such a close range, the black mist seeping from Pharaohmon's body entered SaberLeomon's mouth and nose. It was forced to let him go, being sent into violent coughing fits. Its data fazed in and out, and Pharaohmon turned toward the second one, knowing that it was only a matter of time before his first opponent succumbed to the power of his devastating attack.

"Howling Crusher!" it yelled, firing its attack not at Pharaohmon, but the boy from before and his partner.

"Get out of the way!" Yuichi yelled, running straight for them and pulling them out of harm's way without a moment to spare. "The path's clear, now go inside, and don't leave until the announcement comes on, alright?"

"Y-Yeah," he said, obviously a bit shaken by that near-death experience.

"Thanks for the help!" Veemon called over his shoulder as they started running.

Yuichi smiled a little. His smile dropped, however, when he turned back to the remaining SaberLeomon. "Why do you guys always go after the weak ones?" he asked, but as expected, he didn't receive an answer, just a loud and angry growl. He sighed. "So, it's going to be that way, then?" He shrugged. "Your loss." He turned to his partner. "What do you say about a little Antibody?"

Pharaohmon nodded and Degenerated back to Wizardmon. "I think that that would be a splendid idea."

"Alright, then," the black haired male said, pulling out the desired card and sliding it through the D-Agent, holding the device at such an angle that the card slid through the air diagonally. The data produced by the activation flew toward Wizardmon, changing him into his X-Champion form.

"Thanks, Yuichi," Wizardmon said, dodging out of the way as SaberLeomon came charging at him. "Thunder Ball!" The smaller attack hit the Mega in the back, doing enough to keep it stunned. It wasn't his strongest attack, but it would work for now. "Mystical Aura!" he called, and the air around SaberLeomon glowed in a swirling rainbow light. The Data attributed Digimon's eyes crossed slightly as the aura drew its energy from its body, using the Digimon's own strength against it. Once the aura was charge enough, the colors stopped swirling, almost as if the aura had frozen. Without warning, lights stabbed through its body in countless places, destroying the enemy.

"Phew," Yuichi said. "Glad that's over with."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Tsukiko headed for the gym at top speed, gritting her teeth. Why did this have to happen? Why today, of all days? Her first day back in years, and almost instantly, her mind was thrown back ten years, when they used to be a team. A _full_ team. She hated how easily Chiharu had slipped into the role of leader again, as though Hideaki had never left. Or, worse, as though his sacrifice didn't matter.

What if it didn't? What if it was for nothing? She shook her head. _No,_ she thought. _It wasn't for nothing. He saved all of us._

"Are you gonna be okay?" ShadowWereGarurumon asked, picking up on his partner's mood easily.

"Do you want the truth, or one of those little white lies that won't hurt anyone?" she asked.

"The truth," her partner replied.

"Then, no," she answered. "No, I'm not. But we don't have time for that." She pushed her dark feelings down for now, leaving just enough fury and anger to fuel herself in the battle. "We've got some ass to kick."

ShadowWereGarurumon laughed. "That's what I want to hear," he said with a grin.

When they reached the gym, Tsukiko stopped dead in her tracks. The gym…

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

_Hideaki went to punch her, but she grabbed his fist, and the next thing he knew, he was on the ground._

"_Remember how you said that I have no idea what you've been through?" she asked, looking down at him. "My mom died giving birth to me. When I was in first grade, my dad came to pick me up to go to the dentist, when a shooter made their way into my school. He killed my dad. In my first foster home, the family abused me, and I had to stay there for about a year before anyone realized what was happening. In my next 'home', I was neglected even worse than you were. Your parents just left you alone, right? Well, my second set of foster parents would lock the cupboards and the fridge when they were away, so that I couldn't get anything to eat. I was lucky if they fed me more that three times a week. The family after that actually wasn't all that bad. When they found out what happened, they taught me how to fight, in case I ever got in a nasty situation. They were pretty nice, but then they both died in a bus crash. That's how I wound up here. So, try to find out all the facts first before accusing someone of not knowing what it's like to feel completely alone." She reached a hand down to help him up. When he took it, she smiled a little. "If you ever need to talk, kid, I'm always here. You can trust me, alright?"_

_He nodded, standing up. "Thanks," he said quietly. "And… I'm sorry."_

"_It's fine," she told him. "Hey, we didn't hit Pagumon too hard, did we?"_

"_No, he's okay, I think," Hideaki told her. "A little beaten down, but nothing that's too serious."_

"_Good," Tsukiko replied. She patted him on the back. "I get the feeling you and I are going to be good friends, kid."_

"_Can you do me one favor, then?"_

"_Sure. What's that?"_

"_Can you stop calling me 'kid'?" he asked._

"_Sure thing," Tsukiko laughed. "Kid."_

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

She shook her head, trying to push the memory out of her mind. This was where she had first really become friends with Hideaki… But again, this wasn't the time for that. She cracked her knuckles. "Let's make them regret coming here today."

"You got it," ShadowWereGarurumon replied, settling into a fighting stance as the SaberLeomon caught sight of them. As expected, both charged. ShadowWereGarurumon ducked, and as soon as one went flying over him, he attacked. "Shadow Claw!" The Mega was thrown into the air, and while it was airborne, ShadowWereGarurumon stood. As it made its way back down, he wound up for another attack. "Full Moon Kick!" he yelled, delivering a devastating crescent kick, hurling it to the side, into the other one, which Tsukiko had dodged away from. Both SaberLeomon lay piled on the ground for a moment.

"Digital Ability. Meramon's Fireball: Connect!" Tsukiko yelled, holding her D-Agent horizontally and swiping the card through.

ShadowWereGarurumon put both hands together, touching at the wrists, with his palms out. A small ball of fire appeared in front of them, growing larger and larger by the second. "Fireball!" he yelled, thrusting it forward when it had grown enough. It hit his target dead center, singeing the Megas' fur.

Both managed to stand, clearly not going to go down all that easily. "Twin Fang!" one yelled, charging him again. The other held back, clearly waiting for its moment to strike. ShadowWereGarurumon stayed in place, trusting his partner to maker her move fast enough.

"Digital Enhancement. Hyper Wings: Connect!" The data quickly made its way from Tsukiko's Digivice to her partner, forming six glowing wings one the Ultimate's back. Just as he was about to be hit, he jumped back, using the wings to propel him into the air. "Digital Ability. Birdramon's Meteor Wing: Connect!"

ShadowWereGarurumon felt the wings fold in front of him as two fireballs formed in front of them. They hurtled down at the first SaberLeomon, destroying it. ShadowWereGarurumon touched down just as the wings vanished. The second SaberLeomon, which had stayed back, was now heading his way. "Howling Crusher!"

The Ultimate tried to dodge out of the way, but this time he was just a moment too slow, having been swiped with both claws.

"ShadowWereGarurumon!" Tsukiko yelled. "You okay?"

"This is nothing," her partner replied, standing, albeit a little shakily. But it was true. A simple attack like this was nothing compared to the constant drain of energy he and the others had suffered during their final battle ten years ago. He would be fine. "Full Moon Kick!" he attacked, aiming right at the Mega's face, hitting his mark. SaberLeomon was sent back a few feet.

"Twin Fang!" it yelled, and at this close range, the attack would do much more damage than normal.

"Digital Enhancement. Digmon's Drill: Connect!"

ShadowWereGarurumon, catching on to his partner's plan, waited for his opponent to charge him. Just as it was about to bite down, though, he aimed the drills at SaberLeomon's fangs. "Just like going to the dentist," he commented, causing Tsukiko to laugh a little. It was good to hear her laugh. ShadowWereGarurumon could count on one hand the number of times he had heard her genuinely laugh since… the incident. Once the drills had broken both fangs, the Mega thrust them into the Digimon's mouth, breaking through to the back of its head. It was a bit ruthless, but at least it worked. SaberLeomon was destroyed.

"You would have traumatized the kids with that," the woman commented.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Dominion Blade!"

Mayu and Lucemon raced to the Science room to see the Science teacher, Nishimura, defending his classroom, as well as the students who had been unable to escape. The SaberLeomon were in the hall just outside the room on either side, making escape impossible. Class was over, but the Science room occasionally housed multiple after school clubs. Among the students trapped were Kisa Reddisk and Alexander Jackson, both in C-Class.

"Midorikawa-sensei!" Kisa yelled as the blonde woman took the risk of ducking by one of the Megas to help.

"Nishimura," the younger teacher started, looking at her old teacher. "We're going to try to clear the way here. Can you get the students out?" The man looked like he was about to say something. "We'll be fine, I promise," she added.

"Alright," Nishimura relented, leaving it to the old Digi-Destined. "But be careful."

"Like she said," Lucemon replied, "We'll be fine." He turned to the SaberLeomon to the left, the direction that provided a much shorter route to the exit. "Grand Cross!" The Mega stumbled back, clearly damaged, but it wasn't enough to be able to get the students out.

"Dominion Blade!" they heard again, and got out of the way just in time to avoid Minervamon's attack.

"Digital Ability. Sandiramon's Treasure Lance: Connect!" Mayu yelled, swiping the card she'd gotten from her time in the Digital World.

Four glowing lights formed around Lucemon, molding into the shape of spears. Each one shot at the Mega, destroying it. This had clearly been the one Minervamon had been focusing her attacks on before. It was just too easy.

The students started running out of the room, and Kisa was about to follow when she saw one of the younger kids, still terrified to leave the room. But they couldn't stay here much longer. "It's okay," she told the young boy, an R-Class student with a Botamon. The kid was clearly new, and hadn't heard the stories about how the Digi-Destined had constantly stopped Digimon that had broken into the Academy. Meaning that he didn't know that everything would be okay. "I promise. Midorikawa-sensei will take care of everything." She reached out her hand, and the young boy slowly took it.

"We gotta hurry!" Dracmon warned. He knew that Kisa often helped people without really thinking. It was good that she was trying to save this kid's life, but she needed to think this through more. She couldn't just coax him out, she should have just grabbed the kid and started running. Now there was a much bigger chance of her getting hurt, and Dracmon didn't want that. When they were still in R-Class, and still fairly new at the whole partner thing, she'd taken a hit for him, and was hospitalized for a few weeks. Since then, Dracmon had promised himself that he'd keep her safe. And every second she spent in here, she was put in more and more danger.

"Right," the black-haired girl said. She pulled out her D-Power and a card. "Digital Enhancement. Digivolve: Connect!"

"Dracmon Digivolve to… Sangloupmon!" The Champion approached his partner and the boy. He knew Kisa's plan. As a Champion, he was able to carry both of them on his back, making their escape safer. So she _was_ thinking a little…

"Up you go," the C-Class student said, helping the boy up. As soon as he was safe, she climbed up with him, placing her hands on his shoulders to reassure him as they made their escape.

Unfortunately, by the time they made it out, the remaining SaberLeomon had gotten closer to the door.

"Dammit!" Mayu yelled when she saw the kids leave. The Mega's eyes locked right on the two students and their Digimon. "Lucemon!"

"I see them," he replied, moving between the kids and SaberLeomon. As he checked behind him to make sure that they were out of harm's way, a large paw slammed into him, slamming him into the wall. Mayu glared at the Mega.

"Digital Enhancement. Reapermon's Burning Cyclone: Connect!" Mayu held her D-Agent straight out in front of her. She slid the card straight down, activating it.

As Lucemon stood, he began spinning rapidly, creating buffeting winds that threw SaberLeomon back, while also hurrying the students on their escape. When he stopped, he approached his opponent. He didn't have to worry about losing energy in another battle, since this SaberLeomon was the only one left, so he did the one thing he could to guarantee their success. "Ultimate Sacrifice!" he yelled, and the affectionately called 'Square of Death' surrounded the Mega, destroying it instantly. The expense of energy caused the Demon Lord of Pride to drop to his hands and knees.

"The others had better be doing okay…" Mayu muttered. Lucemon was in no shape to help them if they needed it.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Chiharu and Beelzemon reached the Team Battling room in record time. She couldn't let them enter it. If they managed to get a Gate open, they could escape. And she couldn't let that happen.

They were just outside the doors, trying to break their way through. After the Digi-Destined had returned to the Academy, they found some sections of the building demolished. To prevent this from happening again, engineers and scientists had come in, finding a way to bond Chrome Digizoid to steel, making it a solid and permanent substance in the Human World. Once they had accomplished this, they rebuilt the entire building with the new materiel, dubbed 'Steel Digizoid'. Because of that, the only way into any building or room would be through the door.

"Double Impact!" Beelzemon yelled, drawing their attention. Both turned to look at the Demon Lord of Gluttony and his partner. As both human and partner expected, they charged. Beelzemon jumped over them, and Chiharu ducked to the side, pinning herself against the wall so that they blew right past her. When both realized they had missed their targets, they turned, but Chiharu was ready.

"Digital Enhancement," she started, holding her D-Agent above her head. "Blast Mode: Connect!" She swiped the card downward. Beelzemon glowed for a moment, and when the light subsided, he had wings, a large cannon on his right arm, and his blood red eyes had turned emerald green.

"Corona Blaster!" the Demon Lord yelled, firing at both. One took the brunt of the attack, while the other was barely scratched. Beelzemon decided to focus on the injured one first. Using his left hand, he grabbed one of the Berenjena and fired. "Double Impact!" Both bullets fired hit their target as well, causing Beelzemon to smirk. This was almost too easy.

The injured SaberLeomon stood, still looking ready for a fight. Both charged Chiharu. "Howling Crusher!" they both yelled.

Like he said. Too easy.

"Corona Blaster!" he fired again, hitting the Megas. They slowed, but didn't stop their pursuit.

"Digital Ability," he heard Chiharu say, though his view of her was obscured. "Kumbhiramon's Deva Clone: Connect!"

Three clones of the Demon Lord appeared around him, and all four smirked. "Corona Blaster!" they all yelled together, two firing at the first SaberLeomon, two firing at the second. The original Beelzemon quickly made the cannon on his arm disappear, making both arms usable. "Double Impact!" he attacked, firing both Berenjena repeatedly. He managed to destroy the first, but the second was still alive and kicking. Luckily, though, he'd managed to draw its attention away from Chiharu. The three clones vanished, but with this one-against-one battle, it was going to be easy. He holstered both guns and tucked his wings, rocketing down toward the other Mega. "Darkness Claw!" he yelled, and the attack knocked his opponent off its feet. It had been taking minor damage from every attack thrown at the other one, having been close enough. But all that minor damage had built up, making it weak. All it would take was one more attack and it would be over.

"Wait," Chiharu said, walking over. She stood right in front of the SaberLeomon, facing it with crossed arms. "Why now?" she asked it. "Why wait ten years to attack us again?"

She hadn't expected a response, so both she and Beelzemon were surprised when it spoke. "Revenge," it growled. "Revenge for ten years ago."

"Wh-what…?" the brunette woman asked, taken aback? The Digimon were _thankful_ for what she and the others had done… weren't they?

"The Master still has followers, and he grows stronger with every passing day," SaberLeomon said. "He will return…"

"I've had enough of this," Beelzemon growled, putting one of the Berenjena in SaberLeomon's face. "Double Impact!"

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Chiharu lay on her bed, thinking. She had met up with the others afterward, confirming that they had each taken down their targets. After making sure that they were all okay, they went their separate ways: Mayu and Chiharu to their rooms in the teachers' housing, and Satoru, Yuichi, and Tsukiko to a nearby hotel. They would say their goodbyes tomorrow.

"Still thinkin' about what SaberLeomon said?" Beelzemon asked, leaning against the wall, crossing his arms.

"Yeah…" she replied softly.

"You know it had ta be lying just ta get under yer skin," he told her.

"But what if it was telling the truth? I mean, why else would they attack now, when we've had peace with the Digital World for ten years?" the woman asked. "What if what we did back then wasn't enough?" _What if Hideaki's sacrifice meant nothing?_

"Then we'll just kick their asses again," he told her. "We're stronger than we were then. We can take anything."

Chiharu glanced at the goggles lying on her dresser. She hadn't put them on for years, but perhaps it was time to get back in the saddle. "I hope you're right…"

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"You guys take care, now," Mayu told the others at the airport. It was time for Yuichi, Satoru, and Tsukiko to catch their flights.

"We'll see you next year, then?" Chiharu asked, masking the feeling of dread she'd had since yesterday. She wasn't going to tell them what had happened. They didn't have to know. At least, not yet.

"You know it," Yuichi said with a grin.

"Hopefully we won't get interrupted next time," Wizardmon commented.

"True that!" Satoru said, causing everyone to laugh.

Chiharu hugged Yuichi and Satoru, and when she turned to Tsukiko, she paused. She still hadn't gotten over the woman missing her wedding, and she was sure that Tsukiko still hadn't stopped blaming her for letting Hideaki be their sacrificial lamb. After a moment, she offered her hand, which Tsukiko took.

"Stay safe," she told her old teammate.

"Yeah," the teal-haired woman replied. "You, too."

**Next time:  
>Shinji: Someone's inside Sealed Room.<br>Beelzemon: Hey, kid, what do you think yer doin'?  
>Rei: Oh, crap.<br>Botamon: Hey, Beelzemon. Long time, no see.  
>Beelzemon: Oh, boy…<br>Mayu: This is bad…**

**This was so **_**weird**_** to write! All my babies are all grown up. *sniff sniff* But other than Yuichi, they haven't changed much. I mean, Chiharu's all internally angsty, but she usually hides it pretty well. And DON'T say she's 'overreacting' or anything, because if you remember from season 1, she held herself responsible for every death around her, even those she had no control over. And Hideaki's loss hit her hard, because she, as the leader, felt it was her job to keep everyone safe, and she failed. And Tsukiko's not really helping. She blames Chiharu for it, and while it wasn't Chiharu's fault, can you really blame her? She lost one of her best friends in the whole world (second only to ShadowWereGarurumon, of course) and needed someone to place the blame on.**

**Yes, Chiharu and Hiroshi lasted through school and got married. This is rare, I know, but those two were so cute together that I couldn't stop myself. And while Mayu took Nishimura's job as the Technical Abilities teacher, he did not retire, he simply let her take that half of his job. Now, when he doesn't have a class, since he has much more free time, he works as a substitute when needed, and also helps Shinji with security.**

**Return of the Speed card!**

**Sorry I took so long getting to this (and sorry the A/N is so long. I just have a lot I have to share), but it's just been one thing after another, and I wanted to get far enough ahead that I wouldn't stress so much about trying to finish a chapter in time. And don't tell me "it's okay, you don't really need to have that once a week deadline and put that much pressure on yourself." Yes, I do. Otherwise, it would never get done. That's the only way I was able to finish season 1. So… here you have it! New Digi-Destined start to appear next time, starting with Rei Higurashi, a submission from Da-Tenshi Setsuna.**

**And if you have any other questions about what's happened over the course of these ten years, feel free to ask~**


	2. Here Comes Trouble

**I'm back, with episode 2~ Here comes the first of the new Digi-Destined, starting of with… *drum roll* Rei Higurashi~**

**Also, I had a pretty good question about the past… And that is: Are Hiroshi and Beelzemon able to live with each other in peace (with Hiroshi and Chiharu being married and all), or are they constantly fighting? I assume it gets messy at times. And where are Asuka and... the boy whose name I can't remember, the one with BlackSeraphimon for a partner?  
>The answer? They butt heads a bit sometimes, but it's usually not too bad. Beelzemon constantly reminds Hiroshi that if he makes Chiharu cry, there's a very good chance that he won't live to regret it. And every couple has their arguments, so when Chiharu and Hiroshi do, Beelzemon is always on Chiharu's side, and when the argument's calmed down, he's still pissed at Hiroshi for another good four hours. And as for Asuka and Dai… those two did not last in a relationship, but remain good friends. Asuka's a flight attendant, and Lotosmon stays home and handles things while she's gone. When the Digi-Destined returned, people were typically more accepting of Digimon, as stated in Episode 1, so Digimon following their partners out of school wasn't too uncommon anymore. In the past, to prevent conflict between Digimon and humans, when a student graduated from Digimon Academy and went into a line of work that didn't involve Digimon, the Digimon would live at the nearest Academy, and there would be regular visits, though luckily, this didn't happen much, because most went into Digimon work. Sorry, gone off on a tangent… Dai still works for the Academy. He's an accountant, so he advises the Headmaster on where their money would go to the best use and how much to spend where.<strong>

**Disclaimer: You know the drill.**

_**Chiharu:**__ "Ten years after the incident with Millenniummon, to the date, the Academy was attacked by a group of SaberLeomon. The others were visiting for our annual reunion, so we managed to get in there and stop them before they hurt anyone. But before Beelzemon destroyed it, one said something that's been bothering me. It said that its Master, meaning Millenniummon, was going to return soon. That should be impossible. We sealed it in the Millennium Gate, and Hideaki Kokawa gave his life to seal the Gate. It should be gone now. And yet… something tells me that we're in for another long battle. I just hope we don't lose any more friends this time…"_

* * *

><p>"Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?" Mayu asked, arms crossed. Class was done for the day, and she was finally addressing an issue from days earlier. Kisa Reddisk and her partner, Dracmon, stood in front of her and Lucemon.<p>

The C-Class student looked up sharply at the blonde teacher. "I wasn't going to leave that kid there!" she argued. "What did you want me to do, _leave_ him there and let him get hurt?"

"The walls of this school are Steel Digizoid," Mayu told her. "If you had both just stayed inside the room, you would have been safe. You put yourself, your partner, that boy, and his partner all at risk by trying to escape!"

"I panicked!" Kisa practically yelled. "The school's never been infested after ten years ago! I didn't know what I was supposed to do!"

"You follow the drills," Mayu replied, trying to keep calm. "You don't go rushing off, trying to be the hero. If you had gotten hurt, not only would you be in danger, but you would put others in danger. Lucemon and myself, for trying to stay between you and SaberLeomon. Anyone trying to come take you to the Infirmary." She closed her eyes, mentally counting to ten. "You need to _think_ about these things."

"I didn't have _time_ to!" the student said. "I just acted on instinct. I did what I thought was best!"

"Yes, but it wasn't—" She cut off when Lucemon put a hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down, Mayu," he told her. "She's safe. The boy's safe. Why don't we just let her off with a warning?"

Mayu paused, and eventually turned back to face Kisa and Dracmon. "Fine, you two can go." They turned to leave. "But if you ever do anything like this again, it's detention for a month."

"Yes, Ma'am," they both said before leaving.

As soon as the door closed, Mayu walked back to her desk and slumped down. "What was that all about?" Lucemon asked. Mayu was never this hard on her students.

"What would I have done if they had gotten hurt?" she asked him. "I would never forgive myself if any of these kids got hurt on my watch."

"I understand," the Demon Lord replied, "but sometimes you have to just accept that it happened, and try to stop it from happening again."

"You're right," the blonde replied after a moment's pause. "I'm sorry."

Lucemon laughed a little. "I don't think I'm the one you should be apologizing to," he told her. "I think you just terrified that poor girl."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Shinji, having managed to retain his post as the Digimon Academy head of security all these years, sat in the security room, watching his half of the monitors while his partner, LadyDevimon, watched the other half. "We've got movement in the halls," she reported.

"It's a school," he told her. "Of course there's movement in the halls."

"Yeah," the Ultimate replied, "but students don't sneak around, trying to avoid looking at the cameras."

"What?" Shinji asked, out of his seat immediately. He hurried over to the screen that LadyDevimon was pointing at. It was true. A teenager was sneaking through the halls, staying out of range of the obvious cameras. But, just in case, they had installed cameras that were more difficult to detect, meaning that they caught this kid, whoever they were. It was difficult to make out any defining features, but it didn't look like this was one of the students. And worse, if this kid kept going in the direction they were headed, they'd wind up at a room that no one was ever supposed to be in. He picked up his D-Control. "LadyDevimon, who's the closest to the area?"

"Chiharu Miura and Beelzemon," LadyDevimon replied. She glanced back at the screen. "Bad news. They made it in."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Chiharu and Beelzemon were doing their typical patrol through the halls when Chiharu's D-Agent beeped. "What is it?" she asked when she answered it.

"Someone's inside the Sealed Room," Shinji told her, causing she and Beelzemon to share a nervous glance.

"We're on our way," the brunette replied, and even before the Digivice was put away, she was running, Beelzemon right behind her. Their fears were confirmed when they arrived to find the door to the Sealed Room left ajar. Chiharu knocked it open and entered.

There were seven pedestals in the room, but only five had contained Eggs. The other two had been collecting dust for years. But something was wrong.

A girl with very dark brown hair that looked black in the low lighting stood in front of one of the pedestals. She wore a black tee shirt with a red glitter heart in the right corner, jeans with a black miniskirt over it and a white jacket around her waist. A purple feather hairclip held her hair back. But what was alarming was that she had just picked up one of the Eggs.

"Hey, kid," Beelzemon started, causing the girl to jump. "What do you think yer doin'?"

"Oh, crap," the girl muttered, facing the glares of both Demon Lord and former Digi-Destined.

"'Oh, crap' is right," Chiharu told her. "What are you doing in—?" But she was cut off when she heard a cracking sound. The Egg in the girl's arms was beginning to hatch. The girl wore a huge grin, but Chiharu and Beelzemon were apprehensive.

When the Egg finished hatching, a Botamon rested in the girl's arms. He blinked and yawned for a second, but when he spotted Beelzemon, he smirked. "Hey, Beelzemon," he told the Mega. "Long time, no see."

"Oh, boy…" Beelzemon muttered, facepalming.

"Is that…?" Chiharu started.

"Yep. Belphemon, Demon Lord of Sloth," the Demon Lord of Gluttony informed her.

"And he reacted with…?" Chiharu began to ask, apparently unable to form complete sentences.

"Guess so. Hey, kid, what's yer name?" he asked the teenager.

"The name's Rei Higurashi," she told him, black eyes staring fearlessly up into red. "So, does this mean I'm a Digi-Destined now?"

"I… think it does…" Chiharu whispered. She shook herself lightly, pulling herself out of whatever thoughts had been running through her mind. "Come with me," she said, leading the girl out of the room, making sure that Beelzemon shut the door behind them. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen," Rei replied.

"Alright, we need to call your parents, first," the teacher said.

"Good luck with that," the teenage girl said bitterly.

"What do you mean?" Chiharu asked.

"My dad died when I was little. My mom's working all the time, so good luck trying to get her to pick up the phone," she replied. She glanced down to see Botamon yawning again. "He really is the Demon Lord of Sloth, isn't he?"

"Don't I know it…" Beelzemon muttered, shaking his head. He looked at Chiharu. "Don't ya think you oughtta let Shinji know what happened, so he doesn't call SWAT or something?"

"Right," she nodded, getting her D-Agent out again. She didn't miss the look of excitement in the girl's eyes as soon as she saw the Digivice. "Hey, Shinji, we took care of it. A girl broke in. She… She made Belphemon's Egg react."

"Then that means…"

"Yeah, I know," she told him. "I was there once, too, remember?" Without another word to the guard, she put the D-Agent away and led the girl down a few hallways and into the main hall. "We need to have a little chat with the Headmaster." She glanced over at Hotaru.

"Shinji just called," the black haired woman informed her. "I let the Headmaster know. He's waiting."

Chiharu knocked on the door, and when it was opened, she stepped in, bringing the girl with her.

"So, this is the girl who broke into the Academy," he said.

"Technically, I didn't _break_ in. I snuck in. The gates were unlocked." She smirked. "You guys need better security around here."

"Well, we caught ya, didn't we?" Beelzemon pointed out. He turned back to the Headmaster. "Anyway, she made Belphemon's Egg react."

"So, we have a new set of Digi-Destined coming, then, I see," Dynasmon, the Headmaster's partner, said.

"Wait, what?" Botamon asked. He'd briefly fallen asleep, and woke up just in time to hear the word Digi-Destined.

Chiharu sighed. "We'll explain later. Beelzemon, can you take them to Dorm E and get them settled? I need to talk to the Headmaster about something."

After looking at her for a moment, the Demon Lord of Gluttony nodded, knowing exactly what she wanted to talk about. Combining what SaberLeomon had said the other day with the fact that new Digi-Destined were starting to appear, it was clear that something was amiss in the Digital World, and the Headmaster had to know. As soon as her partner had left with Rei and Botamon, she said, "When the SaberLeomon broke through to the Academy a few days ago, one said something that's been bothering me," she started. "It said that Millenniummon's going to return soon… I didn't say anything because I thought it was just trying to get under my skin, but now that that girl made Belphemon's Egg hatch…"

"You're worried that it may have been telling the truth," the Headmaster guessed.

"That's right," she replied with a nod. "And I'm afraid that we won't be able to stop it this time. We lost someone ten years ago, and even then, we weren't able to destroy it, just seal it again. And if it gets powerful enough to break through the new Millennium Gate… We don't stand a chance."

"I have faith in you," the Headmaster said.

"We all do," Dynasmon added.

"Thanks," Chiharu whispered.

"I believe that it's time for you to go and help Beelzemon get that girl settled," Dynasmon suggested.

"Alright," she said, turning. "We won't let you down." As soon as she left the office, she went to the reception desk, where Hotaru handed her a bag with the standard Academy materials: a uniform, a Digivice, and a standard deck of cards. "Thanks," she told the older woman before heading for Dorm E, taking out her D-Agent. "Hey, Mayu," she said, calling her friend. "We're gonna need you over at Dorm E."

"Why? What's up?" the blonde asked.

"We… We have a new Digi-Destined."

"You're serious?" Mayu asked, surprised.

"Yeah," the brunette replied. "But that's not all of it. Just… get down there, alright?"

"You got it. See you in a few," the woman replied.

When Chiharu got to the Dorm, she saw Rei sitting in one of the comfy chairs, while Beelzemon was sitting on the couch, arms crossed behind his head, and his feet on the coffee table. "Beelzemon," she started scoldingly, and when he glanced at her, she looked pointedly at the table. He chuckled and took his feet off it.

"What's that?" Rei asked, looking at the bag in Chiharu's hand.

"Your new stuff," the teacher replied, handing her the bag. "Your uniform, your Digivice, and your cards."

"Sweet!" the girl said with a wide grin. She picked up the Digivice, a D-Agent, and as soon as she touched it, the base turned grey, and the triangular buttons turned purple.

At that moment, the doors opened again, and in stepped Mayu and Lucemon. "So, this is her?" she asked.

"Yep," Chiharu replied. "Meet Rei Higurashi."

"Lucemon?" Botamon asked, confused. "What are you doing here?" He looked back and forth between Lucemon and Beelzemon. He hadn't been too surprised that Beelzemon had become a human's partner. He was the first to be destroyed, and he always was the odd one out. After they'd become corrupt, he was the only one to retain at least _some_ sense of honor. He only ever participated in fair fights. Granted, he said it was only because unfair fights weren't any fun, but still…

But Lucemon? The last time Botamon checked, the Demon Lord of Pride hated humans. So what was going on here?

"Looks like we have a lot to fill you in on," Lucemon said.

"I wanna hear this, too," Rei replied. "I saw the old articles online about what people used to think about the Demon Lords. Then they started saying that you guys didn't start out evil, but they never really went into detail."

"I guess we'll start from the beginning, then," Beelzemon said. "There used to be this really evil Digimon, Millenniummon—"

"The one you guys beat ten years ago," the teenager put in.

"Don't interrupt," Chiharu scolded.

"It kept destroying Digimon and absorbing their data so they couldn't be reconfigured into Digi-Eggs. It even managed to destroy the Sovereigns," Beelzemon said.

"We, the Demon Lords, came together to destroy it, but we couldn't. Instead, we used much of our power to seal it in an ancient gate that was supposed to be unbreakable," Lucemon continued.

"It got out?" Botamon asked with wide eyes. That shouldn't have been possible! They'd made sure to seal it so that it would never open again.

"Then, I came into the picture," Chiharu said. "I actually just popped in here to get directions to somewhere, but Beelzemon's Egg, in the Sealed Room where we found you, started shaking. So, they called me back and I enrolled in the Academy. Eventually, five others, Mayu here included, joined me as Digi-Destined. We found out that Millenniummon, who was just being called 'the Master' was behind the Gates that kept opening and the Digimon that came through to attack us. It sent two of the Devas, Kumbhiramon and Makuramon, after us. We beat Kumbhiramon, but Makuramon managed to escape. That was when the Headmaster sent us to the Digital World. We lost a lot of allies along the way… but eventually we managed to beat every lackey thrown at us until we found the Millennium Gate."

"But by the time we go there, it was too late," Mayu continued. "Apocalymon was almost finished summoning the Gate when we destroyed him. But then Ogudomon finished the job. After a long and hard battle, we managed to seal him in the Millennium Gate again, but it almost broke free. One of us, Hideaki Kokawa, and his partner BlackWarGreymon, had to make the ultimate sacrifice. They gave their lives to become the new seal, keeping the Gate shut."

"But a few days ago, the first Gate in ten years opened, sending a group of SaberLeomon to attack," Beelzemon added. "And one of 'em said that it was returning soon. That's probably why yer here."

"You never mentioned that part," Lucemon said, looking at Chiharu and Beelzemon.

"I was hoping that it was just lying," the brunette admitted.

"So, the others are still Eggs, then?" Botamon asked.

"You got it," the Demon Lord of Gluttony answered. "It's just the three of us."

"So you really were good guys," Rei said with a grin, looking back and forth between Lucemon and Beelzemon. "All that time, everyone thought you were evil, but you actually saved everyone! I _knew_ there was more to the story!"

"Anyway," Chiharu started. "Classes start for you tomorrow, so go up and pick a room. The girls' rooms are to the left on the second floor. Your schedule's at the bottom of the bag. We'll be seeing you tomorrow, alright?"

"You got it," Rei replied, heading up the stairs.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"This is so _cool_!" Rei exclaimed, lying on her new bed, Botamon right next to her. "I can't believe I'm actually a Digi-Destined!"

"I can't believe I'm the partner of a Digi-Destined," Botamon said "Or Beelzemon and Lucemon."

"Life's just full of surprises, huh?" his new partner said with a smile.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"This is bad.." Mayu muttered as she, Chiharu, Lucemon, and Beelzemon left the dorm, heading back to the main building. "If it really is true…"

"We might not make it this time," Chiharu whispered. "Last time cost us Hideaki's life. What will we have to pay this time, for another _temporary_ fix?"

"Don't think like that," Lucemon advised. "Negative thinking can only lead to a negative outcome."

"I guess you're right…" the brunette relented.

"Of course I am," Lucemon joked.

"'Cept when yer wrong," Beelzemon added.

"What's wrong, you two?" a male voice asked, and the women looked behind them to see Nakayama.

"A new Digi-Destined showed up today," Mayu told him.

"And one of the SaberLeomon from the other day told me that Millenniummon's coming back," Chiharu added.

Nakayama's smile fell. "That definitely does pose a problem," he said. "Who's their partner?"

"Belphemon," Beelzemon answered. "The kid snuck into the Sealed Room and tried to steal his Egg."

"_That's_ how she got it?" Lucemon asked.

"Yep. We caught her in the act," Beelzemon told him. "Then Belphemon hatched."

"I'd say that's an almost sure sign that Millenniummon's coming back," Nakayama said. At their confused looks, he said, "It took the Demon Lords to seal it the first time, right? Well, maybe the rest of them will be called on. Being partnered with a human makes a Digimon stronger. Maybe the added strength from that will make you finally able to defeat it once and for all."

"I didn't think about that…" Chiharu said thoughtfully. "So we might actually stand a chance?"

"I think so," Nakayama told her with a grin. "Now we just have to wait for the other four."

"This will be interesting," Lucemon commented.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Rei woke up the next morning and practically shot out of bed. Today was going to be her first day of classes at Digimon Academy, and she didn't want to risk being late. She glanced down to see Botamon still asleep, but then, what should she expect from the Demon Lord of Sloth?

After changing into her uniform and brushing her hair, she picked him up and poked him repeatedly until he woke up. "C'mon," she told him. "Let's go!"

"Five more minutes…" Botamon muttered, causing Rei to laugh.

"No five more minutes," she told him, already leaving her room and heading for the stairs. She grinned and sat on the railing, sliding down it. The speed of their movement made Botamon jolt awake.

"Okay, I'm up! I'm up!" he yelled, making Rei laugh again.

"Off to breakfast we go," she said, heading out the door and to the main building. She'd find the cafeteria. How hard could it be?

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Elijah Smith and Michael Althron sat at their usual table with their partners, Veemon and Wormmon respectively.

"I still can't believe you made it back to the dorm in one piece," Michael told his friend, shaking his head.

"I told you," Elijah started, "Yuichi Motonari, one of the old Digi-Destined, saved me!"

"Speaking of Digi-Destined," Wormmon put in, "I heard a rumor that there's a new one."

"From who?" Veemon asked.

"Well, I overheard Dobermon saying it. He heard it from Commandramon, who was told by his partner Alexander, who overheard Miura-sensei and Midorikawa-sensei talking about it," Wormmon answered.

"That's reliable," Elijah said sarcastically.

"But true," Michael commented. "Look." He pointed to the cafeteria doors, where a girl had just walked in. She wore the telltale orange uniform of the Digi-Destined, and was carrying a Botamon.

Rei was relieved. It was a little harder to find the cafeteria than she thought, but she'd done it. Finally. When she glanced around, she noticed that nearly everyone was staring at her. "What? Do I have something on my face?" she asked her partner.

"I think it's your uniform," the little squishy Digimon informed her.

"Oh," she said. "Right." She looked around again. There were a bunch of students ranging from ages seven to eighteen, in green, blue, purple, and red uniforms. As expected, she was the only one in orange. "Now where am I supposed to sit?" she muttered, looking for a spot. She started heading in a random direction, hoping there was an empty seat nearby. A boy with spiky pale blue hair and teal eyes sat by himself with a Centarumon next to him. The seat across from him was vacant, so she decided to sit there.

"So you're the new Digi-Destined," were the first words out of his mouth.

"Hello to you, too," she replied. "The name's Rei Higurashi."

"Jun Okamoto," he told her. "This is my partner, Centarumon."

"Cool. This is Botamon," she informed the boy. "So, you're in C-Class, right?"

"Yeah. That's what the blue uniform means."

"What are classes like here?" Rei asked. "Today's my first day."

"Morning classes are boring, but the afternoon classes are neat," he said. "See, the morning classes are the normal subjects. You know, Match, Science, that stuff. But after lunch are the cool classes, like Digimon History and Team Battling." He smiled. "Me and Centarumon kick ass."

"Cool," she replied. "Wait… what are we gonna do during Team Battling?" she asked Botamon. Other than the two teachers, who she wasn't sure really counted, she was the only Digi-Destined. She was the only D-Class student in the school.

"I dunno," the Fresh Digimon replied.

"Well," Centarumon started, "I heard that when Miura-sense first started, before any of the other Digi-Destined enrolled, while Beelzemon was still In-Training, Ikeda-sensei, the Team Battling teacher, showed her how to fight as a unit with her partner. After he Digivolved, they started using that class as training."

"So, that's probably what we're going to be doing," Rei told Botamon.

"Good," the small Digimon said. "I get to sleep some more." She whacked him lightly on the head, not nearly hard enough to hurt him.

"Nice try, but you have to pay attention, alright? That'll be us in there some day." She smirked. "And if you fall asleep in class, I'll wake you up every single time."

Botamon groaned. "But I don't wanna…"

"Baby," she teased.

"Hey, how old are you?" Jun asked.

"Seventeen," she replied. "That's the second time someone's asked me that in two days. Why?"

Jun smiled a little. "We'll be in the same morning classes, then. I'm turning seventeen in a few weeks."

"Alright, cool," Rei said with a smile of her own. Her first day, when classes hadn't even started yet, and she'd already made a new friend.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Hello, this is Chiharu Miura. I'm trying to reach Ayumi Higurashi. I called last night, and was told she was busy, but—"

"I'm sorry, but she's busy right now," the woman on the other line replied.

"I don't care if she's busy," the brunette said, letting her calm demeanor slip. She'd already called three times the previous night, and had gotten the same response every time. "This is about her daughter. So pull her out of whatever meeting, or whatever paperwork she's doing. I _need_ to talk to her."

The woman paused. "I can try," she finally said, and then Chiharu heard indiscernible voices on the other line, indicating that the speaker was being covered. "One moment, please." Chiharu heard the click that she guessed was the line transfer, followed by a few rings before the phone was picked up.

"Ayumi Higurashi speaking," a woman said.

"Hello, Ms. Higurashi," Chiharu said, trying to sound pleasant. "My name is Chiharu Miura. I'm a teacher at Digimon Academy, and I just thought I'd let you know that your daughter, Rei, broke into the school yesterday afternoon. Normally, this would result in some sort of discipline, but, as it turns out, she's a Digi-Destined, and, as standard procedure states, we enrolled her immediately. I just thought I should let you know that she'll be spending the remainder of the school year, as well as next year, here at the Academy, and to ease any worry you might have had when she didn't come home last night."

"I've been working all night," Ayumi replied. "I haven't been able to go home at all." Chiharu froze. This woman didn't even know that her daughter never came home last night? She took a few silent deep breaths.

"Well, she's been here, and I'd like to ask that you allow her to remain here, and to send whatever she might need from home," the teacher continued.

"Of course she can," Rei's mother replied. "I'll send someone home to grab her stuff and drop it off."

"Actually," Chiharu started, "I think it would be better if you came, yourself, so that you could see her again. Digi-Destined students, for their own safety, aren't supposed to leave school grounds without an escort during the school year."

"I wish I could," the woman said, but Chiharu doubted that she meant it. "But I'm just far too busy. Oh, I have to go. Tell Rei that I wish her luck."

"Will do," Chiharu said through clenched teeth before hanging up.

"How'd it go?" Beelzemon asked. He'd been leaning against the wall in the staff room while Chiharu made the call, but he'd only heard her half of the conversation.

"The woman doesn't even care that she won't see her daughter again until the summer!" the teacher hissed. "She's sending someone else to drop Rei's stuff off instead of bringing it herself!"

Beelzemon sighed. He had a feeling he knew why Chiharu was getting so upset over this. While she'd had a pretty good home life, they both knew about Mayu's, Tsukiko's, and Hideaki's home problems. And she'd seen what that kind of stuff could do to someone. And after seeing the display of fake mourning that Hideaki's parents had put on after finding out his fate, Chiharu couldn't stand people that didn't care about or couldn't make time for their children.

"Maybe you should calm down a little," Beelzemon advised. "You've got the second graders first period. You don't wanna scare 'em, do ya?"

She laughed a little. "You're right," she said. "Speaking of which, the bell's going to ring soon. We should get to the gym." Since Aoki had retired, Chiharu had taken her job not only as the Digimon History teacher, but the Gym teacher as well. Though, Beelzemon typically took the lead then.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Rei sat in her Science class, realizing that Jun was right. Morning classes _were_ boring. The only one she liked was Math, and that was because the teacher, Nakayama, made it fun. He may be thirty eight, but if anyone asked Chiharu or Mayu, they'd tell them that he hadn't changed a bit over the last ten years.

Botamon had fallen asleep, and Rei didn't bother trying to wake him up. In fact, she was halfway there herself when the building started shaking. "I'm up!" she yelled, causing a few snickers, despite the chaos. She blinked and looked around, seeing the kids exiting the room. "What's going on?" she asked.

"A Gate must be opening," Jun told her. "Now come on. We've gotta get out of here."

Rei followed him out of the room, but as soon as she got through the door, she ducked around a few people. A Gate meant Digimon breaking through. Digimon breaking through meant a Digimon battle, and there was no way Rei was missing that! As she ran, the intensity of the tremors increased, indicating that she was heading in the right direction.

She arrived to see Chiharu, Mayu, Beelzemon, and Lucemon fighting three large elephant type Digimon. Rei's new D-Agent beeped, and she pulled it out. A 3D holographic model of the Digimon appeared above the screen, as did a few words. "SkullMammothmon," she read. "Mega Level. Attacks: Spiral Bone Crusher and Gran Charge." Her eyes sparkled as she turned back to look at the oncoming battle. "Pay attention, Botamon," she said quietly, hiding in a shadow to avoid being seen. "We're about to see some legends in action."

"And just what am I?" he asked.

"Tiny, now shh."

"Digital Enhancement," Mayu and Chiharu yelled together. "Speed: Connect!"

Rei saw both Demon Lords practically vanish as they rocketed at speeds faster than the human eye could follow.

"Double Impact!" Beelzemon yelled, firing at one of the SkullMammothmon. The bullets hit its back, nicking the bone, but not doing much overall damage.

"Grand Cross!" Lucemon attacked, aiming for the same spot Beelzemon had just hit, to about the same effect.

"Digital Enhancement. Blast Mode: Connect!"

Beelzemon shifted into Blast Mode, grinning like the psycho he was in battle. "Corona Blaster!" he yelled, firing.

Botamon yawned. "It's going to take a long time if they keep going at it like that," he pointed out.

"What do you mean?" Rei asked.

"See that giant orange sphere in its ribs? That's its Digi-Core. One hit to that and it's all over." He sighed. "Guess they forgot that."

"Guess so," the teenager muttered, watching the two fully Digivolved Demon Lords duke it out in the two-on-three battle. While they weren't taking much damage, they weren't making much headway, either. Eventually, Rei couldn't take it anymore. "Hit its Digi-Core!" she yelled, causing Chiharu and Mayu to stare at her. They were clearly wondering what she was doing there, but thankfully, decided to save that conversation for a later time.

"You heard the girl!" Mayu yelled.

"Of course," Lucemon said.

"Why didn't we think of that?" Beelzemon pondered. He flew in front of one of the SkullMammothmon and aimed for the open spot between the ribs. "Corona Blaster!" He fired the giant pink sphere of energy, which hit its mark perfectly. The Mega was destroyed instantaneously.

"Grand Cross!" Lucemon attacked, destroying the second. "You know, this is getting a little disappointingly easy," he commented.

"What, you _want_ us ta get our asses kicked?" the Demon Lord of Gluttony asked sarcastically. "Corona Blaster!"

"Grand Cross!" Lucemon yelled, and it met Beelzemon's Corona Blaster, melding the two attacks into one and hitting the last enemy in the Core. It, like the others, disappeared immediately.

"That was sick!" Rei exclaimed, running over.

"What are you doing here?" Chiharu asked. "You're supposed to be in your dorm!"

"I knew it was a Digi-Destined's job to take care of this kind of stuff," the teen replied with a shrug. "I knew we couldn't do anything, but I wanted to watch the legends in action. You know, so we're ready."

"You can't argue with that logic," Mayu pointed out.

"Alright, true," the brunette relented. "Okay. At least you kept yourself from getting hurt."

"Duh. I'm not stupid," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Anyway," Lucemon said, "I think it's time for you to be getting back to class."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Chiharu sat on her bed that night, staring at the goggles in her hand. She'd been worried before that she might need them again. But yesterday had proved it. Their old enemy was coming back, and they needed to be ready.

Without another thought, she secured the goggles on her head.

**Next time:  
>Karuto: I can't believe we actually made it here.<br>Souta: Isn't it awesome?  
>Shinji: Hey, someone get to the Sealed Room. There's a problem with one of the Eggs.<br>Kuramon: FINALLY!**

**So… yeah. Episode 2. To Da-Tenshi Setsuna, I hope I portrayed Rei correctly. If not, I'm really sorry. I'll try harder next time.**

**Alright, you might think that that last little scene was stupid, but it's actually a really meaningful character point for Chiharu. To her, those goggles represent the time she spent as a Digi-Destined when she and the others were on their adventure to save both worlds. As soon as they returned, she removed them, and hasn't worn them since. Starting to wear them again means that she's accepting what's going to happen, and that she's being brave enough to be a part of this again, even though she's upset and afraid of losing someone. So, while on the surface, it seems like "Oh, she's just deciding to wear goggles again," she's really making that important decision. Get it?**


	3. Signs of Greed

**Episode/Chapter 3. Woot~**

**Gone over the disclaimer already, so… here we go! WAIT! In the other chapters (and last season) I **_**completely**_** forgot to credit one more person for their OC, and that's Pikapikaluv, who owns Maemi Kuroi. SO SORRY! Your submission got temporarily 'lost' in the mass of PMs I have! I will fit her in somewhere!**

**Rei: **_"So, I had this great idea of sneaking into Digimon Academy to try and steal one of the Eggs. Of course, I got caught. I thought I was in so much trouble, but then the Egg, belonging to Belphemon, the Demon Lord of Sloth, hatched, making me a Digi-Destined. Sweet, right? Anyway, I found out the true story of the Demon Lords, and started school here at the Academy. On my first day, a Gate opened, and I got to see two of the original Digi-Destined, who happen to be my teachers, in action. I wonder what else this place has in store for me?"_

* * *

><p>Two boys stood at the front of Digimon Academy, staring at the large building through the intricate gates. The older boy had spiky black hair and brown eyes. Despite being only fourteen, he was a bit tall. The younger boy had the same brown eyes, but his black hair was straight, albeit a bit messy. Both boys looked a little thinner than they should.<p>

"I can't believe we actually made it here," the older boy, Karuto Onogi, said softly.

"Isn't it awesome?" the younger boy, his brother Souta, asked. Karuto had to admit, it was pretty awesome, though at first, he had fought against it with everything he had. Their parents wanted a better life for them, so they wrote to the Academy, begging them to give their sons a chance at a better life. When they were accepted, their parents became ecstatic. The Onogi family was poor, and had eventually lost their home, causing them to live on the streets. Karuto didn't want to leave his family, but at the same time, wanted his little brother to be able to succeed. Souta, however, refused to go if Karuto wouldn't go with him, forcing him to relent.

"Yeah," the older brother said. "Yeah, I guess it is." He reached into his pocket and lightly ran his thumb over the photo that lay there. It was a picture from back before, when they still had a house. Back before everything got hard. He was only eight in the picture, and Souta was three. He missed those days, but there was nothing he could do to change what happened. He reached for his brother's hand, who took it with a small smile. "Come on, let's go." And with that, he opened the gates, heading down the cobblestone pathway to the front door.

When they entered into the main hall, the woman at the reception desk smiled at them. "You must be Karuto and Souta Onogi."

"Welcome to Digimon Academy," a disembodied voice said from somewhere behind the desk.

At the boys' quizzical looks, the woman laughed. "That's my partner, Datamon. He's connected to the system right now, so he can't really come out to say hi." She wheeled her chair back slightly and looked down where the boys assumed Datamon was. "How's it coming down there?"

"System updates aren't easy, you know!" the Digimon answered. "You try being a part of the _entire school's _network!"

"Yes, yes, I know, poor you," she joked. She looked back up at Karuto and Souta. "Sorry about that. Datamon's just a little touchy today. We're updating the school's computer system, and it's taking a little longer than we thought. Give me just a minute, and I'll call someone to lead you up to the Nursery." She pushed a button on the desk, presumably the intercom. "Midorikawa-sensei to the main hall, please." She put her finger off the button. "She'll be down in a moment."

And just a few moments later, a woman with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes walked in, trailed by a Digimon that looked like a Fallen Angel. "Karuto and Souta Onogi?" she asked, earning two nods. "Follow me, I'll take you right up to the Nursery."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

As per usual, Shinji and LadyDevimon were at their posts in the security room. By special instruction from the Headmaster, they were keeping an eye on the camera in the Sealed Room. It was just a guess, but if the other Demon Lords were going to hatch, one of the Eggs would begin to shake as soon as their destined partner stepped in the building, and two new students were arriving today. And, just as expected, one of the Eggs began to wobble.

"Hey, someone get to the Sealed Room," he said, putting his D-Control on conference so that all teachers would get the message. "There's a problem with one of the Eggs."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Mayu stopped in her tracks as soon as the message came through.

"Is something wrong?" Souta asked.

"No, nothing," she said, turning on her heel and walking in another direction. "Follow me."

The boys looked at each other for a moment and shrugged, following the teacher. They stopped in front of a closed door, and as soon as Mayu opened it, a large, dark colored egg rolled out, with an odd looking symbol on one side. It stopped at Karuto's feet.

"Well, I'll be damned," Mayu's Digimon partner muttered. "We've got another one already…"

"Another what?" Karuto asked.

"A Digi-Destined," Mayu replied. "Do me a favor and pick up that Egg." The older boy did so, and as soon as it lay comfortably in his arms, it began to crack. When it finally hatched, a little purple creature with one large red eye and two tiny pointed ears took its place.

"_Finally_!" it said.

"What are you talking about, finally?" Lucemon asked, rolling his eyes. "The time in the Egg is like nothing."

"Not the point," the small Digimon said stubbornly.

"Well, now that that's settled," Mayu started, "We still have to take Souta to pick out his Digimon."

"So, what's going on, exactly?" the newly hatched Digimon asked.

"We'll explain a minute, if you would just _be patient_!" Lucemon said, annoyed.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Here we are," Mayu said, bringing the boys to the Nursery. Digi-Eggs surrounded them. "Pick one out."

Souta looked back at his brother, who rolled his eyes jokingly and nudged him forward. The young boy started searching through the Eggs, stopping at a white one with purple stripes. "Can I have this one?" he asked.

"Of course," Mayu replied, and the boy gleefully picked up the Egg. "Now, let's get you settled in your dorms. I'll call someone to bring you your new things."

"New things?" Karuto asked.

"Your uniform, your Digivice, and your cards," Lucemon answered.

"What do we need cards for?" Souta asked.

"You'll learn that soon enough," the blonde woman replied. She pulled out her D-Agent. "Nakayama, can you get me two uniforms, one green, one orange? Yeah, their sizes. The green's for Souta, and the orange is for Karuto. I also need a D-Power, a D-Agent, and two decks of cards. Thanks. Meet us at Dorm D. We're stopping there first."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Here we are, Dorm D," Mayu said as they stopped outside the building.

"This is where you'll be staying for a while, Souta," Lucemon said. "When your Digimon hatches, it will be at Fresh Level. Then it will Digivolve to In-Training, and then to Rookie. Once it Digivolves to Champion Level, you'll be bumped up to C-Class, where you'll move to Dorm C."

"And me?" Karuto asked.

"You're staying in Dorm E," Mayu said, "As part of the D-Class."

At that moment, a man walked in holding two bags. He had deep blue eyes and a long, honey-blonde ponytail. "One for you," he said, handing one bag to Souta. "And one for you." He handed the other to Karuto.

"Let's see if we can find someone here to help you out," Mayu said to Souta. She looked around to see an albino girl at one of the tables, doing some homework. "Miyazaki, can you come here for a minute?" she called.

The albino girl in pigtails looked up. "Sure," she said, running over. She had a whistle around her neck. "What do you need, Midorikawa-sensei?"

"Souta Onogi's a new student. I was hoping that you could help him while I take his brother to Dorm E," the younger of the two teachers replied.

"Alright," the girl said. Mayu left with Karuto and Nakayama, leaving Souta to stand there awkwardly with his Egg. "So, your brother's a Digi-Destined, huh?" she asked.

"What's a Digi-Destined?" Souta asked.

"Come on," she said, waving him over to one of the wooden tables. She closed her notebook. "A Digi-Destined is someone chosen by some higher power or something to partner with a Digimon. If anything bad happens, like what happened ten years ago, they're the first ones to check it out and fix it."

"What happened ten years ago?" the boy asked.

"You don't know?" the girl responded, shocked. When Souta shook his head, she said, "There was this really bad Digimon that was trying to hurt people. Midorikawa-sensei and Miura-sensei were two Digi-Destined, and they went with the other four to stop the bad Digimon. They did it, but one of them had to die to keep the Gate they sealed the Digimon in closed."

"And my brother's gonna help if something bad happens?" he asked.

"Looks like it," the girl said. "By the way, I'm Ami."

"Souta," the boy replied.

"My partner, Mushroomon, is upstairs, taking a nap. Maybe you can meet him later," she said. "I bet when your Digimon hatches, it'll be really cool."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Karuto followed Mayu to the dorm on the far side of campus. The other teacher, Nakayama, had left and gone back to the main building.

"We've got one other Digi-Destined right now," the teacher said. "Her name is Rei Higurashi."

"Alright," Karuto said. When the door to the dorm opened, he followed Mayu and Lucemon in. A girl with dark hair holding a small, squishy-looking black Digimon stood at the top of the stairs. When she saw them, she slid down the railing, earning disapproving looks from the teacher and the Demon Lord of Pride.

"You new?" she asked him, and he nodded. "Me, too. I'm Rei Higurashi."

"Karuto Onogi," the black haired boy replied. "So, then, you're a Digi-Destined, too? Whatever that means."

"Yeah," Rei replied. "Digi-Destined are kind of the superheroes of people with Digimon. So, if there's any problem with Digimon, either here or in the Digital World, we take care of it, while the Tamers, all the other students, hold down the fort." She poked her Digimon, who'd been sleeping. "Hey, Botamon, say hi. We've got company."

"Hi, company…" Botamon replied lazily before going back to sleep.

"You haven't changed a bit," Kuramon, as Karuto had learned was his Digimon's name, said.

"You two know each other?" the human asked.

"Do we—Have you been living under a rock, kid?" Kuramon asked. He seemed to sniff, though how he did so without a nose was anyone's guess. "You _reek_ of poverty."

"Kuramon," Lucemon warned. "That kid's your partner now. Be nice."

"Never thought I'd hear those words from _your_ mouth," the Fresh Digimon said.

"Neither did we," a gruff voice said from the doorway. All present turned to see a brunette woman standing with a tall Digimon by her side.

"You!" Kuramon exclaimed. "You're alive?"

"Yeah, no thanks ta you," Beelzemon replied bitterly.

Kuramon muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'You deserved it.'

"What was that?" the Demon Lord of Gluttony growled, cracking his knuckles.

"Beelzemon, calm down!" Chiharu chastised. "You two can duke it out later, when he's a Mega and actually stands a chance. But right now, just leave him alone, alright? We've got some business to attend to." She looked at Karuto, who looked terribly confused at the whole situation. "We'll explain it all later. Or maybe those two can," she added, motioning to Kuramon and Botamon. "Right now, I need you to reach into that bag and take out the D-Agent inside."

"D-Agent?"

"It's the cross thing with the screen," Mayu answered.

"Got it," he said, pulling out the pure white device. Before his very eyes, the D-Agent turned black, and the triangular buttons turned a golden color. "That's cool," he commented.

"So, your uniform's in the bag, so that'll be ready for tomorrow. Your schedule is there in the bag, too," Chiharu told him.

"Alright, thanks," he replied.

"Boys' rooms are on the right upstairs," Mayu added.

"Kay," he replied over his shoulder, already heading up the stairs to find a room. As soon as he picked on, he flopped down on the bed, grateful to finally have a mattress again. "So, what was up with you and that other Digimon?"

"Who, Beelzemon?" Kuramon asked. "I'm surprised he was able to be in the same room without flipping out on Lucemon."

"Why?"

"Those two have a history," the Fresh Digimon replied. "Lucemon left him to die. Actually, we all did, but Lucemon was the one that kept Beelzemon bound to the wall so that he couldn't escape when the humans came."

"Wait a minute, back up," the fourteen year old said. "Who's 'we', and why did you all leave him to die?"

"The Seven Great Demon Lords," Kuramon said. "I'm not quite sure how long ago it was, but at one point, we ruled the Digital World. There was Lucemon, the Demon Lord of Pride, Lilithmon, the Demon Lord of Lust, Leviamon, the Demon Lord of Envy, Daemon, the Demon Lord of Wrath, Belphemon, the Demon Lord of Sloth, partnered with that other girl, Rei, Beelzemon, the Demon Lord of Gluttony, and me, Barbamon, the Demon Lord of Greed."

_Of course, a poor kid like me gets partnered with an embodiment of greed…_ Karuto thought, but kept these thoughts to himself. Kuramon had somehow known that he was poor, but apparently he didn't know _how_ poor.

"Beelzemon was becoming a pain in all of our sides, so it was a unanimous decision to get rid of him. The humans were closing in on our location, so it was easy to let some information slip, bind Beelzemon there, and then leave," Kuramon continued.

"But I guess they caught up with you."

"Yes," the tiny Demon Lord said, "They did. And they destroyed all of us. Apparently, though, they kept our Eggs and we've been hatching for humans."

"Guess so," Karuto commented. "So, do you think the other three will hatch for someone?"

"With four of us already?" Kuramon asked. "No doubt." He looked around the room for a moment. "Not bad," he commented.

"Yeah," the new Digi-Destined agreed. "Not bad at all."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

The next day, the morning passed by quickly enough for both Rei and Karuto. They had Digimon History as their first class after lunch, and both wanted to be filled in on exactly what happened all those years ago. Rei knew the official press release, but she wanted to know the full story. Karuto, who had been too young to remember, and then soon wasn't able to keep up with the news, had no idea what anyone was talking about whenever they mentioned 'ten years ago'. He wanted to be able to get caught up so that he could stay in the loop.

As both Digi-Destined walked in, they saw Chiharu already at her desk, grading papers while Beelzemon stood over her shoulder, occasionally pointing out a mistake she missed. When the door closed, they both looked up.

"Alright, have a seat right up front." She turned back to her partner as the children took their seats. "Can you go get the textbooks?"

"No problem," he said, heading to the cabinet. Years ago, he would have argued with her about it, but he'd quickly grown accustomed to Chiharu's role as a teacher, and his own as her assistant teacher. He did things like getting the books so that she wouldn't have to waste time and was able to get right into the lesson.

"Alright," the brunette teacher started, "I guess I'll start from the beginning. A long, _long_ time ago, there was a Digimon that was trying to take over the Digital World, and was, unfortunately, succeeding. Nothing anyone tried was working, so eventually, seven Digimon came together, deciding that they were going to try to stop it once and for all. This Digimon, Millenniummon, had managed to destroy the four Sovereigns who ruled the Digital World: Azulongmon of the East, Baihumon of the West, Ebonwumon of the North, and Zhuqiaomon of the South. These seven Digimon, Lucemon, Beelzemon, Barbamon, Belphemon, Daemon, Lilithmon, and Leviamon, all managed to defeat Millenniummon, but they couldn't destroy it. Instead, they sealed it behind the Millennium Gate, a gate powerful enough to hold such a vicious enemy." She paused. "But it wasn't going to hold forever. As time passed, the Demon Lords became corrupt. Their leader, Lucemon, left Beelzemon in their castle while they fled, leaving him to be destroyed by the humans. But shortly afterward, the humans caught up with the rest of them, destroying them and bringing their Eggs back to the Academy."

"Then you came, right?" Karuto guessed.

"Yes, I did," Chiharu replied. "Originally, I just stopped in to ask for directions, because I had just moved here, but when I entered the Academy, Beelzemon's Egg started to react. I was brought back, where I was handed his Egg, and he immediately hatched. At first, we didn't really get along, despite my best efforts. But after he had Digivolved to Rookie, and Ogudomon attacked the school—"

"Ogudomon came here?" Botamon interrupted. He'd been poked repeatedly by Rei to keep him awake, so he might as well pay attention. This stuff _was_ fairly important, after all.

"Yes," Chiharu replied. "Now, don't interrupt. Anyway, Ogudomon came here, apparently on Millenniummon's orders, which had been passed on through the weakening Gate to Apocalymon, to retrieve Lucemon's Egg. It tried to kill us once it saw that Beelzemon, Impmon at the time, was alive. But he kept it talking long enough for the teachers to come and save us. A few days later, another Gate opened, and a group of Blossomon broke through, attacking us. One tried to kill me, making Impmon Digivolve to Beelzemon to save me. Shortly after that, Hideaki Kokawa joined the Academy as the second Digi-Destined." She tried to hide the pain in her voice as she said the name. "He partnered with a Digimon that would eventually Digivolve and become BlackWarGreymon. He was really distant with us, but when the next Digi-Destined, Tsukiko Takaki came, partnering with ShadowWereGarurumon, they became friends, and he started to open up a little. Then came Satoru Kono, with Lilamon. He was a really nice guy, and even though his partner was still at a really low level, he did everything he could to help us when he first enrolled. Yuichi Motonari, the youngest of all of us, joined with his twin sister, Kazue. She didn't become a Digi-Destined, though. Yuichi partnered with Wizardmon. The Headmaster decided that it was time that we started training as a team, so we were all taken to the Team Battling room, but Satoru and Yuichi couldn't really do much. Tsukiko and Hideaki made quite a team, but Beelzemon wasn't really good at working with others."

"Hey!" the Mega said indignantly.

"It's true," Chiharu pointed out, and Beelzemon couldn't argue against that. "Everyone started having their own individual training sessions to get their Digimon to Digivolve, and then the last of us, Mayu Midorikawa, joined. She wound up partnered with Lucemon, who didn't remember his past life at the time. Our theory about that was that he hadn't been at full strength when he'd been destroyed, since much of his data was stored in a being he called the Shadowlord, an extension of himself. When he first hatched, Beelzemon tried to kill him for revenge, but I wouldn't let him. Mayu was kind of a bitch at the beginning—you didn't hear me say that—and tricked one of my best friends into thinking she liked him. Of course, the truth came to light when she abandoned him when we were attacked—again—on Halloween. See, during all this time, Gates kept opening again and again, which we later found out was Apocalymon's doing. A little bit later, while the others were given their training schedule, the Headmaster appointed me as the leader. Lucemon eventually Digivolved back to his Ultimate form, and when he did, he got all of his memories back. That caused this huge fight between him and Beelzemon. After they managed to duke it out without hurting anyone too badly, Hideaki's Digimon, BlackAgumon at the time, Digivolved into SkullGreymon and started attacking everyone. Beelzemon actually came up with the plan to stop him, and it worked. Then… the _real _stuff happened."

"Makuramon and Kumbhiramon, two of the Devas, made it through a Gate," Beelzemon said.

"The Devas used to serve the Demon Lords, but once they were gone, they turned to a new master, Millenniummon. Makuramon and Kumbhiramon were trying to get Lucemon back on their side, but when he refused, they attacked us again. We destroyed Kumbhiramon, but Makuramon escaped. That's when the Headmaster told us to go to the Digital World to stop the problem at its source," Chiharu continued. "So that's exactly what we did. Our first stop was the old castle of the Demon Lords, which had been taken over by this spider Digimon, Arukenimon. She attacked us with her minions, Dokugumon, who had managed to poison Wizardmon. She brought some of the stone of the castle to life, creating a Golemon, and in the process, I got knocked off the ledge. Beelzemon managed to save me, using a new form he got called Blast Mode, where he had wings. We defeated Arukenimon, and then went to search for a cure for Wizardmon. We found it in the form of a root, but we had to fight Cherrymon to get it. Turns out, escaping Dokugumon from the Demon Lords' castle poisoned a bunch of Fresh and In-Training Digimon, and there was only the one root we used for Wizardmon left, but there was enough medicine left over to save them. When we moved on again, BlackAgumon Digivolved into SkullGreymon, and just like the first time, he attacked us, but he pulled himself out of it by Digivolving to BlackWarGreymon. We found Lucemon's Shadowlord, who helped us, but was destroyed by Reapermon. All of its data went back to Lucemon, he destroyed Reapermon in revenge."

"And this whole time, Makuramon was followin' us, taking the Devas' Eggs when we destroyed 'em," Beelzemon added.

"So he came back to the Academy to try to get Kumbhiramon's back. Both the teachers and some of the students tried their best to keep it away, but he managed to get it and take it back to the Digital World."

"What did he want with the Eggs?" Rei asked.

"We still don't know," Chiharu admitted. "Eventually, we ran into one of the Devas, Antylamon. But she wasn't evil, like the others. She helped us, but… as a punishment for that, Makuramon destroyed her. When we found Indramon, he rubbed salt in the wound, blaming me for everything…" she trailed off, but shook herself out of it. "Then we fought the Dex, this group of four Digimon that had been infected with a virus, warping them into horrible creatures that stole Digi Cores, the Digimon equivalent of a human heart. We won, and Lilamon, Wizardmon, and ShadowWereGarurumon made it to Mega Level, though Beelzemon, Lucemon, and BlackWarGreymon were weak from the attack. So we took them to the Forest of Baihumon, where we were looked after by a group of Prairiemon. Sinduramon destroyed them for helping us, but then Beelzemon destroyed him. We found Vikaralamon, one of the last Devas, in a factory, where we destroyed him. Makuramon showed up, and we finally put an end to him. After that, we looked for the castle where Apocalymon was hiding, trying to get the Millennium Gate open and free Millenniummon. We fought Majiramon, its guardian, and made our way inside, but when we found Apocalymon, he sent us each to a nightmare world. Our Digimon made their way in and got us out with the help of the X-Antibody cards, and we destroyed Apocalymon, but it was too late. He'd gotten the Gate mostly open, and Ogudomon showed up to finish the job. We destroyed it, too, but the Gate was already open, and Millenniummon was coming out. It started draining our energy, and when we fought it, nothing was working. We had to summon the Millennium Gate again, but…" Chiharu had to stop. Her eyes were water, and her throat was beginning to feel tight. She couldn't continue the story.

Beelzemon could see his partner's distress and decided to finish the story for her. "It was too strong for the Gate to hold anymore. So Hideaki volunteered ta become the seal on the new Gate. He and BlackWarGreymon gave their lives to close the Millennium Gate."

"But it might be coming back," Kuramon said.

"That's right," Chiharu answered, having managed to pull herself together. "That's why you're here now." She gave Kuramon a pointed look. "So try to get along with your partners."

"But _poverty_," the Fresh Level Digimon practically whined.

"Learn to deal with it," the teacher said simply.

"So, what do we do now?" Rei asked. "I mean, our Digimon are still at Fresh Level. We can't really do much right now."

Chiharu smiled a little. "That's one of the things the afternoon Gym class is for. In that class, you battle each other to try to make your Digimon Digivolve. In fact, that's the class you two have next." She looked down at the textbooks on the desks. "But for now, until the bell rings, I want you to open your books to page six and read the first section."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

As soon as the bell rang, Rei, Karuto, Chiharu, and Beelzemon all headed to the Gym, Botamon and Kuramon being carried by their partners.

"Here's how it's going to work," the teacher started. "Both of you will stand on either side of the mat. Since you haven't had Technical Abilities yet, you won't be using any cards, but when one of the Digimon is unable to continue battling, the battle will be over." She watched as both students took their places and set their Digimon down in front of them. "Ready? Battle… Begin!"

"Glare Eyes!" Kuramon yelled, and a frothy substance began coming out of its eye, shooting like a jet straight toward Botamon, who jumped out of the way.

"Bubble Blow!" Botamon retaliated, and Chiharu tried to hide her smile at how adorable it was, watching these two tiny little things try to battle each other. Botamon's attack hit Kuramon head on, and the latter stumbled back.

"Glare Eyes!" he yelled again.

"Bubble Blow!" Botamon yelled back, and both attacks collided, creating a rebound that sent both Fresh Level Digimon tumbling backwards. As they righted themselves, they both began to glow, and when the glow subsided, two different Digimon stood in their place.

In Kuramon's place was a purple Digimon with long, thin ears, a single large red eye, and little claws on its underside. "Tsumemon," Karuto read, startled when his D-Agent produced the 3D model of the Digimon before him. "In-Training Level. Attack: Nail Scratch."

"Pagumon, In-Training Level," Rei said, reading the info on her own Digimon. "Attack: Poison Bubbles."

"Nail Scratch!" Tsumemon yelled, diving forward, but Pagumon dodged.

"For the Demon Lord of Sloth, he's surprisingly fast in battle," Karuto told Rei.

"Guess that's his Rage Mode comin' out, even at the In-Training Level," Beelzemon commented.

"What do you mean?" Chiharu asked him.

"Well, Belphemon's got two modes: Sleep Mode and Rage Mode. Sleep Mode kinda speaks fer itself, but Rage Mode is what happens in battle, or just when he gets pissed. He starts really focusin' on the battle, and actually ain't too bad," the Mega explained.

"Huh," his partner said. "I didn't know that."

"Not many do," he replied.

"Nail Scratch!" Tsumemon yelled, running right into Pagumon and digging his claws into the other Digimon.

"I give up, I give up!" Pagumon said.

"What?" Rei asked, sending a small glare at her Digimon. She wasn't ready to be done yet!"

"And… back to Sleep Mode," Chiharu joked. Pagumon yawned and fell asleep in response, causing everyone else present to start laughing.

"Okay, since the two of you are the only ones in this class, and we can't really have another battle…" the brunette started, "Do you have any questions about your duties as a Digi-Destined?"

"Yeah," Karuto said. "If you couldn't defeat Millenniummon before, what makes you think we can?"

Chiharu took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Because a Digimon with a human partner is stronger than a regular Digimon. And if you add that power to the Demon Lords… Well, of course we can do it." _We have to._

**Next time:  
>Tanya: So, Digimon Academy, huh?<br>Hotaru: Welcome.  
>Shinji: This is getting nuts!<br>LadyDevimon: You're telling me.  
>Zurumon: Who are you?<br>Beelzemon: This just keeps gettin' better and better…**

**So, I sorta had to build Souta's personality on my own, since I was only given his name, but I hope I did okay. Also, I was having a little difficulty with Karuto's personality, but hopefully I'll get better. He hasn't really had the chance to be a 'hothead', so right now, he's just confused. And I wasn't trying to make it seem like he was stupid. It's just that, living on the streets, I figure they wouldn't be able to be completely kept up on the news. He and Souta probably heard a few things here and there, but not enough to tie anything together.**

**Anyway, up comes our favorite Demon Lord of Wrath! (Of course, he's the **_**only**_** Demon Lord of Wrath). And I managed to recap the ENTIRE first season in 1,525 words. I think that's kind of awesome.**

**Oh, and another note: Anyone deciding to be an ass and comment how, after ten years, it's still like this for Chiharu… Remember, she feels responsible. Put yourself in her shoes for a second: You're the leader of an important group of people. Just about everyone helping you out dies. Then, when it's your responsibility to get everyone home safely, one of the people you promised to protect dies on your watch. How would you feel? (Sorry, I was just worried that there would be that one person who decided to leave a stupid comment like that.) And I warned you guys: LOTS OF ANGST.**


	4. Feel My Wrath

**Disclaimer: You know the drill by now~**

_**Karuto:**__ "After years of living on the streets, my little brother and I finally got a lucky break. Our parents contacted Digimon Academy, and they let us come and stay. My little brother, Souta, got to pick his Digimon as an Egg, but I made one of the Eggs 'react'. And not just any Digimon either. I made Barbamon, the Demon Lord of Greed, hatch. Ironic, huh? Anyway, I learned all this stuff about what happened ten years ago, and I'm kinda worried. I mean, if it took that much to beat it last time, will we have to sacrifice something now?"_

* * *

><p>It had been about four days since Karuto and Souta had come to the Academy. The Egg that Souta picked had hatched into a Dodomon, and he had made close friends with Ami.<p>

Karuto, however, did not have as much luck.

"Will you quit that?!" he yelled, trying to do his homework, but was constantly interrupted by having small pieces of paper flung at him. He turned around to glare at Rei, who sat at another table behind him.

"Who, me?" she asked, feigning innocence, though the many scraps of paper in front of her proved her guilt.

"Aren't you supposed to be the _mature_ one?" Karuto asked, rolling his eyes, referring to the fact that Rei was three years older than him.

"Pff, who needs maturity?" the girl joked. Koromon laughed.

"Apparently not you," Karuto muttered, turning back to his homework. Tsumemon nodded in agreement. The small Digimon still complained about the fact that the human was poor, but they'd started to get along better, once Tsumemon had caught Karuto pick pocketing Maemi Kuroi, a U-Class student. Living on the streets, the boy had picked up a few tricks. He wondered if Maemi noticed that she was missing a couple dollars… Karuto never took too much at one time. He wanted to make sure his theft wasn't noticed.

The fourteen year old's eye twitched as another piece of crumpled paper hit him in the back of his head.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

A girl with dyed dark purple hair dressed in a band shirt and jeans stood outside the Academy with a duffel bag over her shoulder. She and her parents had moved to Japan a few years ago, because they couldn't stay in Brooklyn any longer. The girl wouldn't stop blaming herself for the death of her little brothers, even though there was nothing she could have done. She was too far away to get to them in time, and it wasn't like she could have stopped the subway…

Her parents had thought that moving away would help her cope, but it didn't seem to help much. After a few years of depression, her parents finally enrolled her in Digimon Academy, hoping that whatever partner she got would help her move on. No matter what they tried to do, she was guarded and refused to open up to them, but hopefully, that special bond between a human and their Digimon partner would give her someone to trust.

She took a deep breath and walked through the gates. When she got to the main building, she walked in, heading straight to the reception desk.

"Tanya Serata?" Hotaru asked.

"That's me," the girl replied, adjusting the strap of her bag.

"Wait here for just a moment," the black haired woman said. "I have to make a call."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"This is getting ridiculous!" Shinji exclaimed, watching the monitor. As soon as the newest student walked in, another one of the Demon Lords' Eggs began to react.

"You're telling me," LadyDevimon replied. She glanced over as Shinji's Digivice beeped.

"Yeah?"

"Hey, did one of the you-know-whos do you-know-what?" Hotaru asked.

"Oh, yeah," the man said, nodded, even though she couldn't see him. "You're going to want to get her down there."

"Got it."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"You-know-whos doing you-know-what?" Tanya asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He knew what I was talking about," Hotaru said. She held her D-Control again. "Nakayama, we've got another one. Can you come down here and handle it?"

Tanya wasn't sure she liked the sound of 'handle it'. But about a minute later, a man with a long blonde ponytail walked over, grinning. "Right this way," he said. Tanya followed him wordlessly as he led her through the halls and up a flight of stairs. He stopped at a door and opened it. "Come on," he told her, motioning her into the room while he walked in. Again, she followed.

The room held seven pedestals, yet four of them were empty. The other three held large, dark colored eggs that Tanya knew were Digi-Eggs. One of them was shaking. "What, am I supposed to walk over to it or something?" she asked.

"Yep, and then pick it up," the teacher told her.

"Alright, sure," the purple-haired girl said, walking over and picking the Egg up. As soon as she touched it, it shook harder, and cracks began to appear in the shell. When the Egg hatched, a small mass of yellow slime with big red eyes blinked up at her.

"Who are you?" it asked.

"Tanya. You?"

"Zurumon," the small Digimon replied. He glanced around Tanya's arm and looked confused. Tanya turned to see a brunette woman standing in the doorway with a tall, biker demon looking Digimon. "What are you doing here?"

Beelzemon sighed. "This just keeps gettin' better and better…" he muttered sarcastically. If this kept up, all of the Demon Lords would be resurrected, and they'd all gang up on him, with the way things were looking. Of course, he could take them all his one hand tied behind his back, but it was just plain annoying.

Tanya looked at the woman for a moment, wondering why she looked familiar. Then it clicked. She vaguely remembered the large Gates opening all across America, including in her hometown, Brooklyn. And she remembered, after they stopped, the international news report of the Digi-Destined, the students who stopped the one behind the attacks, returned home. And this woman had been one of them. She remembered one moment in the day of the attack perfectly…

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

_Seven year old Tanya Serata shook with fear as a large Digimon that looked like a mass of things thrown together cornered her. She closed her eyes, hoping that it would all be over soon. But instead, she heard a roar of pain._

"_Are you okay?" a male voice asked. She looked up to see a teenage boy with orange hair and green eyes. Behind him were the Digimon that attacked her and another smaller one. This one was humanoid in shape, with a red mask of some sort. It had a black wing on one side, and on the other, feathers lined the arm, making it serve as another wing. Tanya nodded, more than a little shaken. The boy reached a hand toward her, which she took. "Don't worry," he told her. "Ravemon will take care of this."_

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Snapping out of her thoughts, she looked at Chiharu Miura's Digimon. That must be Beelzemon, the Demon Lord of Gluttony. Wait a minute… This room… The symbols on the Eggs… The fact that Zurumon seemed to know Beelzemon.

"Are you a Demon Lord?" she blurted, looking down at her partner.

"Took you long enough," he replied. "Yeah, I am. The Demon Lord of Wrath."

"And yer so tiny," Beelzemon teased, making Zurumon glare again.

"When I Digivolve back to Mega, you're really in for it," he warned. "Especially, since it looks like Lucemon's already hatched. He can just do to you what he did before." Zurumon smirked.

Beelzemon wore a smirk of his own as he heard familiar footsteps coming down the hall. "Oh, ya mean _that_ Lucemon, who saved my life a couple times? And I saved his life? And helped the rest of us save the world? _That_ Lucemon?" He couldn't help but laugh at the look on Zurumon's face.

"You know I don't appreciate being talked about behind my back," Lucemon commented from behind Beelzemon.

"Technically, I was in front of your back."

"Semantics," the Demon Lord of Pride said, waving his hand dismissively.

Mayu looked over at Nakayama. "Don't you have class right now?"

The man blinked for a minute before realization hit. "Oh, crap!" he yelled, dashing out of the room and down the hall. Both women and their Digimon started laughing.

"Ten years, and he hasn't changed a bit," Lucemon commented.

"Would you rather he changed and turned out like Shimizu?" Chiharu asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No thanks," Beelzemon said, pretending to shudder. "Yikes."

"Yeah, one's bad enough, thank you," Mayu joked. All four suddenly seemed to remember that Tanya was there. "It's a long story," Mayu told the girl.

"So, are we just gonna stand here all day, or what?" she asked.

"Oh, right," Chiharu said, and she led the others to Dorm D. When they opened the doors, they saw two students. The older girl was flicking pieces of crumpled paper at the younger boy, earning a disapproving look from the teachers. When she noticed them, she smiled innocently, brushing the papers onto the floor. Then she noticed Tanya.

"Is she one of us?" the girl asked.

"Yeah," Lucemon replied.

"Cool," the girl replied. "I'm Rei, and this is my partner, Pagumon." The Digimon in question, however, was asleep.

"I'm Karuto. This is Tsumemon," the boy told her.

"Tanya," the newest student said. "And this little guy is Zurumon."

"We'll let you get settled," Mayu told her. "The girls' rooms are to the left, up on the second floor."

"The second door's my room," Rei informed Tanya.

"Alright, thanks," she replied, heading up the stairs as the teachers and their partners left.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"I'm getting worried," Chiharu said as they walked back to the main building.

"Why?" Beelzemon asked.

"This is going way too fast," the brunette said. "It's barely been a week, and we've already got three new Digi-Destined. We all came over the course of several months. What if that means it's getting close to coming back?"

"Maybe we're just getting lucky," Mayu suggested. At the questioning looks around her, she continued, "Think about it. We had a lot of time before we went to the Digital World." She turned to Lucemon. "And I mean, how long did it take you guys to get to full power."

"I don't know exactly how long, but it _did_ take several months," the Fallen Angel Digimon replied.

"See?" Mayu said with a smile.

"Maybe," Chiharu said, but she didn't look very convinced. Beelzemon had to do something, and fast. With all that was going on, he was afraid that she'd relapse to the way she was before.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

_When Chiharu went home for the summer, after the final battle, she just wasn't the same. The cheerful air around her was gone, and it was like the light had gone out of her eyes. As her partner, Beelzemon was allowed to go with her, and it was hurting him to see his best friend like this, especially when there was nothing he could do. She lost interest in almost everything. She rarely spoke, and spent many nights crying herself to sleep._

_One night, after she had gone to bed, Chiharu's parents called Beelzemon into the living room._

"_Did something happen to Chiharu while you were in the Digital World?" her mom asked._

"_Yeah," the Demon Lord of Gluttony replied. "When we went, Chiharu was picked as the leader. So she felt responsible for everyone, and I think she felt like the whole world was restin' on her shoulders. A lot of Digimon helped us, and a lot of 'em died. She blamed herself for it, even though there was nothin' she could've done. Then, when we finally went up against the Digimon we were after, it was too strong, even after we tried to seal it behind this Gate. So Hideaki Kokawa… he volunteered to be the new seal on the Gate. He died to save everyone, and even though there wasn't really much of a choice, Chiharu still blames herself for it. She hasn't forgiven herself."_

"_Will she be okay?" Chiharu's dad asked._

_Beelzemon wanted to lie to them, so that they wouldn't worry. But in these two weeks that he and Chiharu had been here, they'd treated him like family. They deserved to know the truth. "I don't know," he replied honestly._

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"C'mon, I think we'd know if it was getting too close to escaping," Mayu pointed out.

"More Gates would be openin' up," Beelzemon pointed out. "And we'd be getting even stronger Digimon."

"That's right," Lucemon added. "And other than that single SaberLeomon, none of them have given any indication that they've allied themselves with Millenniummon."

"We got plenty of time," Beelzemon said reassuringly.

"Thanks," she said with a small smile. She felt bad that she made them all worry about her like this, but Mayu, Lucemon, and Beelzemon were her close friends, and she knew that they would do anything for her, just as she would do anything for them. They understood how hard this was for her. They'd been there, too. They'd seen how hard Hideaki's sacrifice had hit her.

"Any time," Mayu said, patting her old friend on the back.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

The next morning, Tanya awoke to a loud knock on her door. "I'm coming, I'm coming…" she muttered, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Zurumon, she saw, was still asleep, so she quietly made her way to the door. "What's up?" she asked, opening the door. Outside was Rei, holding a bag.

"Miura-sensei dropped this off for you," she said, handing Tanya the bag. "It's got your uniform, your Digivice, and then your cards."

"Thanks," the purple-haired girl replied. She took the bag and glanced at the clock. She had a good forty five minutes to get ready for class. She looked back at Rei, who was already dressed. "Why are you up so early?"

Rei shrugged in response. "It gives me time to do stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" Tanya asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, you know," Rei said with a mysterious smile. "Stuff."

Tanya wasn't sure she liked the sound of that, but she wisely kept her mouth shut. "Well, I'll see you in a while, then," she told the other girl, closing her door.

"Who was that?" Zurumon asked, awake now.

"Oh, just Higurashi," the human replied. "She brought me this stuff." She set the bag on her bed. She pulled out the uniform first, looked it over, and laid it out on the bed. Next came the D-Agent. It was a plain white color, but as soon as she touched it, the base of it turned a metallic red, while the buttons turned purple. "Whoa," she muttered, studying the device. "_That_ was cool." Still holding the Digivice, she grabbed the deck of cards. Flipping through some of them quickly, she smiled. These were some pretty neat cards. She looked back at Zurumon. "You're going to need to turn around," she commented, glancing over at her uniform.

"You got it," he replied, turning around to face the wall. Tanya quickly changed into her uniform and looked herself over in the mirror. She frowned a little. She wasn't vain or anything, but she didn't like the way her legs were shown. She was a little chubby, and while it wasn't too much, she still didn't like it.

"Alright, we're good," the girl told her new partner. She opened the bag she'd brought with her and pulled out a brush, and then proceeded to groom her hair. After she was done, she walked over and picked up Zurumon. She'd looked outside her window the previous night and saw how many students came here. She had to leave decently early if she was going to find a decent seat in the cafeteria, and actually get some good food.

Just as she started to leave her room, she heard a loud splash coming from downstairs. She looked over the railing to see Rei laughing her ass off while Karuto and Tsumemon were seething.

"What the hell was that for?!" Karuto yelled.

Rei was practically doubled over, but she managed to say, "Oh my god, your face!" She laughed even harder. "I wish I had a camera!"

Tanya found herself laughing just a little at her classmate's antics, and so did Zurumon. Tanya shook her head a little before heading down the stairs. She passed the other two Digi-Destined, careful to avoid the puddle around a sopping wet Karuto.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

When she got to the cafeteria, Tanya put her stuff at a table in the corner before making her way to the food line. It wasn't that she necessarily wanted to sit alone, she just didn't know anyone right now, and didn't feel like sitting in awkward silence with someone. She was back at her seat and just starting her food when she saw Rei and an unfamiliar boy in a blue uniform with a Centarumon approach her.

"Hey, Serata," Rei said with a smile. "Mind if we sit here?"

"I don't see why not," she replied with a shrug. Both humans sat down, while Centarumon stood in front of a part of the table. Rei set Pagumon on the table.

"This is my friend, Jun Okamoto," Rei said, introducing the bluenette beside her.

"Hey, Serata," Jun said. "It's nice to meet you."

"Yeah, you too," Tanya replied. "So, what's up?"

"Well, you looked lonely over here, so we thought we'd join you," Rei informed her. "Besides, we're all going to be in the same morning classes. I thought it might be nice to maybe help you make a new friend."

"Thanks," Tanya said, a little stunned. Seeing how nice she was being at the moment, one would never have guessed that she had set up a water balloon trick for Karuto that very morning. Tanya couldn't help but wonder if she was working some kind of angle.

"So, where'd you come from before you came to Japan?" Jun asked. At her questioning look, he laughed a little. "Sorry, it's just that you don't look Japanese."

"Brooklyn, in America," the girl replied. And with that, she began eating, refusing to say another word on the subject. She wasn't going to reopen old wounds, especially when they hadn't fully closed yet.

A few moments later, the school began to shake. "What's going on?" Tanya asked.

"A Gate's opening up," Centarumon explained. "We need to get back to the dorms."

"Not a chance!" Rei said, and before anyone could stop her, she dashed out of the cafeteria, carrying Pagumon and probably headed straight for the Gate.

"Idiot!" Jun muttered. Both students saw Karuto quickly follow Rei.

"Well," Tanya said, looking down at Zurumon. "We don't want to be the only ones left behind, now do we?"

"No way!" the Fresh Digimon said. And with that, Tanya was headed toward the door, with Jun staring after her, stunned.

"Which way?" Tanya asked, catching up to Karuto and Rei.

"Follow the tremors," Tsumemon said.

Pagumon yawned. "It'll take us right to the Gate."

The three students took that advice and began running.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Looks like a swarm," Beelzemon commented as he and Chiharu reached the Gate. A large amount of Digimon were pouring through it, dashing this way and that down the halls.

"Ninjamon, Champion Level," Chiharu read from her D-Agent. "Attack: Ninja Knife Throw." She looked back up. "How many of them do you think there are?"

"Thirty and counting," Lucemon said as he and Mayu arrived.

"Great," Mayu muttered. "We've got to find a way to close that Gate."

"Already on it," Chiharu replied, pressing a button on her Digivice. "Hey, Hotaru? There's a whole swarm here. We're gonna need you and Datamon to get this Gate closed."

"We're already on it," Hotaru replied.

"Thanks," the brunette said, and sure enough, just a few seconds later, the Gate closed.

"Students, please head back to your dorms," Hotaru's voice said over the loudspeaker. "M-Class students are to ensure that everyone leaves the building safely. Please, exit calmly and safely, and do not leave your dorms until it is safe to do so."

"Ninja Knife Throw!" three of the Ninjamon that had remained back yelled. Both Demon Lords present dodged before firing off their own attacks.

"Grand Cross!"

"Double Impact!"

Two of the Ninjamon were destroyed, but the third escaped. "Ninja Knife Throw!" it yelled again before escaping down the hall.

"Damn, these things are fast!" Mayu exclaimed.

"They're called Ninjamon for a reason," Lucemon informed her. "They're cunning, sneaky, stealthy, and quick."

"Luckily, they're just Champions, so it shouldn't be too hard," Chiharu commented.

Beelzemon cracked his knuckles. "Sounds like a roundup."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Rei, Karuto, and Tanya were blocked off from both the front and behind. Ninjamon were surrounding them, preventing any escape.

"This is just great!" Zurumon yelled, clearly pissed off, and even more so that he couldn't do anything, being at only Fresh Level. The others weren't in much better shape, either.

"Guys, I think we're in trouble," Karuto said, clearly stating the obvious.

"No shit," Tanya said, rolling her eyes. "Now what? It's not like we can run."

"So we fight," Rei said.

"Are you crazy?" Tsumemon asked her. "We're just In-Training at the moment. I'd rather not find myself turned back into an Egg, thank you!"

"Too much work…" Pagumon added.

"If you guys are all going to be chickens, fine, whatever. But I'm going to at least _try_ to do _something_!" the girl said. "If I distract them, maybe you guys can get away and go for help."

"Are you serious?" Karuto asked. It was true that he was still angry at her for the water balloon incident earlier, but he wasn't just going to leave her here. "From what I understand, we're supposed to be a team, right? So we have to stick together."

"Well, that was cheesy," Tanya commented.

"It's not like we have much of a choice," Zurumon said. "Like it or not, we're all stuck here."

"Ninja Knife Throw!" two from the front yelled. The attacks were aimed toward Rei and Tanya. Both went to dodge out of the way, but Rei was just a bit too slow. The attack that had been aimed at Tanya hit another Ninjamon, injuring it for the time being. Pagumon fell out of Rei's arms and onto the ground a few feet away.

"Rei?" he asked. He wasn't sure if he particularly liked the human yet or not, but she _was_ supposed to be his partner. And thanks to her, he'd hatched. He was here right now because of her, and now she was hurt. He may be a lazy ass most of the time, but even he could rise to a challenge if he really needed to. He felt an energy flow through him, and he began to glow. When the glow faded, a black, koala-like Digimon with a large head, little horns, devil wings, and a long tail sat in his place.

"Phascomon, Rookie Level," Tanya read from her D-Agent, a bit startled when the holographic image appeared in the air in front of her. "Attacks: Evil Snore and Eucalyptus Claw."

"Evil Snore!" Phascomon said, staring at the Ninjamon that had just attacked his partner. The Ninjamon seem transfixed for a moment before falling asleep. "Eucalyptus Claw!" he yelled, diving unexpectedly at the Champion he'd just put to sleep. Rei, Tanya, Karuto, Tsumemon, and Zurumon watched in almost disbelief as the Rookie form of the Demon Lord of Sloth took the offensive.

"We've gotta help him," Karuto said, looking down at Tsumemon. The small Demon Lord paused, weighing his options. It didn't seem like a bad idea, since they were all stuck there, anyway. He jumped down from Karuto's arms.

"Nail Scratch!" he yelled, latching onto one of the Ninjamon, but he was quickly batted away, straight into a wall. He groaned in pain.

"Tsumemon!" Karuto yelled, running over to his partner to assess the damage. "Are you alright?"

"Do I look alright to you?" the little Virus asked. He felt a sudden wave of power and energy run through him, much like Phascomon had had. He began to glow as well, and in his place stood a child sized Digimon with an eye on each hand.

"Dracmon, Rookie Level. Attacks: Eye of Nightmare and Undead Fang," Karuto read. "Sweet."

Dracmon stood, smirking. His partner may be a poor human who'd lived in poverty, but money wasn't the only thing the Digimon was greedy for. He craved power, and it was obvious that this human could help him achieve just that. "Undead Fang!" he yelled, diving at the Ninjamon that had been injured via friendly fire. Both hand latched on to either side of the Champion's head, and Dracmon opened his mouth wide before biting down on his opponent. Due to its already serious injury, the Ninjamon was destroyed.

"Not bad," Rei commented. "But I bet me and Phascomon can get rid of more of these things than you two can!"

"You're on!" Karuto said with a grin.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Corona Blaster!" Beelzemon, now in Blast Mode, yelled as he fired the familiar large sphere of energy.

"Digital Enhancement," Chiharu and Mayu yelled together, "Speed: Connect!"

"That should level the playing field," Mayu said. Both Demon Lords were now matching the speed of all the Ninjamon around them.

"You take that hall, I'll take this one?" Beelzemon asked Lucemon, jerking his thumb down the hall behind him.

"Sounds like a plan," Lucemon replied, taking off down one hall while Beelzemon shot down the other, leaving their partners to just stare at each other.

"Guess we're staying here, then," Chiharu said.

"Yeah," Mayu responded. "Now what?"

"Now we find out where the kids are," she said, without even having to elaborate which kids she was talking about.

"They were just at breakfast," Mary supplied. "If we head to the cafeteria, we'll probably find them on the way.

"I just hope they're okay…"

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Are you okay, Phascomon?" Rei called out to her partner, who had taken a direct hit from one of the Ninjamon, having not been able to move out of the way fast enough.

"Yeah," he replied with a yawn. "But I'm tired…" Rei laughed. Yeah, he was okay.

"How are you holding up, Dracmon?" Karuto asked. His partner didn't look _too_ bad, but it was obvious that he had seen better days.

"I'm fine," the Rookie replied. "Eye of Nightmare!"

"Maybe if you both attacked the same ones at the same time?" Tanya suggested.

"That might work," Rei commented.

"But the bet," Karuto reminded her.

Tanya sighed. "Forget I said anything…"

"Are you kids okay?" they heard, and they all turned to see Chiharu and Mayu heading down the hall toward them, but noticeably without their partners.

"Yeah, we're fine," Rei answered.

"Ninja Knife Throw!" one of the Ninjamon attacked, aiming right at Tanya, who just barely managed to make it out of the way.

"Or not," Mayu said with a raised eyebrow.

"Where are Beelzemon and Lucemon?" Karuto asked.

"Heading down the other halls and getting rid of stray Ninjamon," Chiharu answered.

"Use the Speed card," Mayu advised. "You'll be putting Phascomon and Dracmon on even ground, speed-wise, at least."

"Got it," both D-Class students participating in the battle said. "Digital Enhancement. Speed: Connect!"

"Ninja Knife Throw!" another Ninjamon attacked, aiming at Phascomon this time. It looked like the attack was about to hit, but at just the last second, he dodged out of the way, becoming a dark blur.

"Eucalyptus Claw!" the koala-like Digimon yelled, attacking just as fast as he'd dodged.

"That's what I'm talking about!" his partner said with a grin.

"Come on, Dracmon, we can't let her show us up like this!" Karuto told his partner.

"Undead Fang!" he attacked, just as fast as Phascomon had.

"Hey, Serata," Rei started, "Are you keeping score?"

"Surprisingly, yes," the purple-haired girl replied.

"Score?" Chiharu asked.

"They made a bet to see who could take out more Ninjamon," Zurumon answered. Both teachers sighed in response, but they didn't really have the right to comment on that. Back in the day, they probably would have done something very similar.

"As long as they keep themselves safe," Mayu said.

There were only four Ninjamon left by now, each Rookie taking two of them. All four were quickly dispatched, and each human turned to look at Tanya. "Well?" Karuto asked.

"An exact tie," the scorekeeper said. "Better luck next time."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

After Beelzemon and Lucemon had returned from getting rid of their targets, all students were sent back to class.

"Remember back when a Gate opening meant, like, three days of no school?" Mayu asked, standing outside her classroom door where she and Chiharu would have to part ways.

"Yeah," Chiharu said with a little smile, but it almost seemed forced. "Well, we'll see you later, then."

"Hey, like I said before, we'll be fine," Mayu assure the brunette again.

**Next time:  
>Tsucasa: Hi, everyone…<br>Rei: Hey, new guy! What's up?  
>Pichimon: Everyone else is already Rookie or higher!<br>Sangloupmon: Duh. You just hatched, moron.**

**So… yeah. Tanya's showed up. I hope I portrayed her (and all the other characters) correctly, but if not, I'm sorry. Please let me know, and I'll work on making it better next time. Also, I know I say this a lot, but I feel like not many people actually **_**do**_** this, but… PLEASE read Skullmasta's "Digimon Academy: War of the Digital Worlds." **_**PLEASE.**_

**So, anyway, please review.**


	5. Green With Envy

**We're on to episode 5, now! Anyway, I had two OCs, Ciara and Gwen Cresthill, but they don't really fit the story as much as I wanted them to. They seemed a little… out of place. So instead, they're not going to be in this story, but they may appear elsewhere, since I **_**will**_** be writing more Digimon series, cuz this is just too damn fun!**

**Disclaimer: You know the drill. And I'm not going to keep listing the OC submitters, so if you want to know, check episode 1.**

_**Tanya: **__"So, here's the deal. I was sent to Digimon Academy by my parents, because they thought having a partner would help me get over my little brothers' deaths. Yeah, fat chance. But, as it turns out, I became a Digi-Destined, partnered with Daemon, the Demon Lord of Wrath, but he's still at the first level, Fresh, at the moment. We got attacked by a group of Ninjamon, but Rei and Karuto, the other two Digi-Destined, took care of them when their partners Digivolved to Rookie level. And that was just my __first__ day here at Digimon Academy."_

* * *

><p>It had been about a week since the attack by the Ninjamon, and no new Digi-Destined had turned up. Frankly, it had many members of the staff a little confused.<p>

"I don't get it," Mayu commented, resting her chin in one hand while boredly stirring even more cream into her coffee. She, Chiharu, Nakayama, Ikeda, and their partners, each taking their lunch hour, were in the staff room. "It's been a whole week since Serata showed up. We've had Digi-Destined show up back to back, and then suddenly… nothing. Weren't the rest of the Demon Lords supposed to partner with people?"

"She's right," Ikeda said. "Leviamon and Lilithmon haven't hatched yet, and we've had three new students in the last week."

"Shouldn't we be takin' that as a good thing?" Beelzemon asked, leaning back in his chair, arms clasped behind his head while his legs were crossed and resting on the table. "It probably means Millenniummon ain't as close to coming back as we thought."

"He has a point," Chiharu put in hopefully. "This means we still have time."

"I suggest you put together your first team training session soon," Ikeda said. "It wouldn't be a bad idea to start early."

"You have a point," Lucemon said before looking at Mayu. "We should—" He paused when he saw her adding a little more cream to her coffee again. "Do you want some coffee to go with that cream?" Everyone responded with laughter.

"Let's schedule a thing for tomorrow," Chiharu suggested. "Right after classes."

"Sounds good to me," the blonde replied.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Okay, after classes, we're having a training session for you all," Chiharu told the D-Class students during gym, their second to last class of the day. "After ninth period, I want you to head to the Team Battling room. Midorikawa-sensei and I will be waiting there for you."

"But fer now, Onogi, Higurashi, on yer feet!" Beelzemon said, and the two students in question stood, walking over to either side of the mats in an already familiar pattern. Tanya sat against the wall, with her partner in her lap. Zurumon had Digivolved to Pagumon within the last week, so they were one step close to being able to actually participate in a fair fight in gym, but for now, they would have to continue sitting out.

"Are you ready?" Chiharu asked both students, and they nodded, as did their partners. "Alright, then. Battle… Begin!"

"Digital Ability. Ninjamon's Ninja Knife Throw!" Karuto yelled, and data flowed from the D-Agent to Dracmon's hand and formed a giant shuriken. He threw it at Phascomon, who simply responded with a yawn.

"Digital Enhancement," Rei countered. "Speed: Connect!"

Just as the large shuriken was about to hit Phascomon, the Rookie seemed to vanish, though everyone present had seen enough Digimon battles to know that he was just moving at speeds too fast for the naked eye to see. "Eucalyptus Claw!" they all heard, and a second later, Phascomon was right behind Dracmon, and before the latter could react, the former attacked.

"Digital Enhancement. Speed: Connect!" Karuto yelled, swiping the card to level the playing field.

"Undead Fang!" Dracmon yelled, latching onto Phascomon before he could dodge away.

Phascomon managed to turn his head so that his eyes met Dracmon's. "Evil Snore!" he retaliated, and Dracmon's eyes drooped a little before falling shut. Dracmon's body relaxed, and he let go of Phascomon, falling to the floor.

"It looks like this battle is over. Higurashi is the winner!" Chiharu announced.

"Yes!" Rei said, pumping her fist. "Hey, Phascomon, that was—Phascomon?" The koala-like Digimon in question had fallen asleep again. Rei sighed. "This is getting really old."

"Try dealin' with decades of it," Beelzemon commented.

"Now, it's time to open your textbooks and get some reading done," Chiharu told them. "Trust me, it's not as boring as it sounds."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

After ninth period, the D-Class students, as well as Chiharu and Mayu, met outside the Team Battling room.

"This is where your real training is going to start," Mayu informed the students. "We didn't start training as a team until much later, but we can't be too prepared."

"We're going to be facing a strong enemy," Lucemon informed them. "Ten years ago, we weren't ready, and it cost us dearly. We're not going to make that same mistake again, and as such, you will all be starting early with your training."

"But what about me?" Tanya asked, raising an eyebrow. "Pagumon can't really battle at the moment."

"You'll still be goin' in with 'em," Beelzemon told her. "Part of their job will be ta keep you safe. Ya never know when one of ya will be injured in battle and not able ta protect themselves."

"When we started, Satoru and Yuichi couldn't battle with us, but they came in anyway," Chiharu added. "And when Wizardmon was infected with Dokugumon's virus, like we told you, he was out of commission for a while, so we had to take care of protecting Yuichi and Wizardmon, while still protecting ourselves."

"We'll be right in the office, so if it gets to be too much, we can just shut the simulation down," Mayu finished. "Good luck." And with that, she, Lucemon, Chiharu, and Beelzemon headed into the office. A few seconds later, the large room disappeared, turning into a quarry.

"What kind of training is this?" Karuto asked, looking around. "There's nothing here!" But the moment those words left his lips, the ground shook slightly, and four rocks began to move. They stood to reveal child-sized Digimon with yellow eyes, made entirely of rock.

"You had to say it!" Rei said, rolling her eyes.

"Gotsumon, Rookie Level," Tanya read. "Attacks: Rock Fist, Crazy Crusher, and Earth Shaker."

"Four of them," Rei commented. "Two for each of us, eh, Onogi?"

"Bet I can take mine out faster!" the younger Digi-Destined challenged.

"Oh, yeah?" the older student asked with a grin. "Well, I bet you can't!"

"Come on, you guys, just get it over with," Tanya said, glaring at the both of them.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"That's not exactly the teamwork we were looking for," Lucemon commented.

"No, definitely not," Mayu replied. "Hopefully, they'll get a little better with time."

"I hope so," Chiharu muttered. "Both worlds depend on it."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Eucalyptus Claw!" Phascomon yelled when one of the Gotsumon got too close. He knocked it, back, but it wasn't down for the count yet.

"Rock Fist!" it retaliated. Phascomon tried to dodge out of the way, but was just a moment too slow.

"Phascomon!" Rei yelled. "Digital Enhancement. Recharge: Connect!"

The Rookie Demon Lord of Sloth stood, reenergized. "Evil Snore!" he attacked, quickly putting the Gotsumon to sleep.

"Crazy Crusher!" one of the others yelled, targeting Dracmon, who dodged out of the way without a moment to spare.

"Digital Enhancement. Gatling Arm: Connect!" Karuto yelled, and the data flowed to Dracmon, creating a metal cannon-type object on his hand. "Digital Ability. Gargomon's Gargo Laser: Connect!"

"Gargo Laser!" Dracmon attacked, and the energy bullets flew at his opponent. Due to his attack belonging to a Champion, a few moments of unrelenting attack destroyed the first Gotsumon.

"Ha! One down!" Karuto bragged.

"Oh, we'll see about that," Rei said. "Digital Ability. Cerberusmon's Mad Dog Fire: Connect!"

"Mad Dog Fire!" Phascomon yelled, aiming the attack at the sleeping Gotsumon, which was destroyed upon impact.

The other two Gotsumon, despite being simple simulation programs, looked at each other before both targeting Tanya and Pagumon.

"Earth Shaker!" they both yelled, and the combined attack sent strong tremors through the ground, and a large crack split the rocky ground, heading straight for the human and her In-Training partner.

"Uh, guys?" Tanya called. "A little help here?"

"Shit!" Rei hissed. "Phascomon?"

"Evil Snore!" he attacked, but both opponents managed to dodge.

"Eye of Nightmare!" Dracmon tried, but they avoided this, as well.

Tanya backed up as the crack quickly approached her, but she couldn't escape. The ground gave way under her feet, and she began to fall. She managed to grab the edge of the crevice, but she could only hold on with one hand, as the other was occupied with keeping a hold of Pagumon.

"You'd think they'd stop the simulation now," Karuto commented.

"No, wait, look," Rei said, pointing to where the two had fallen. A small light shone out, and a moment later, a small, blue Digimon that looked somewhat like a bowling ball with wings and legs flew out. Karuto and Rei immediately ran over and each grabbed one of Tanya's arms, pulling her up.

"That was a little too close," the purple-haired girl said, taking a few deep breaths. She looked at the Digimon that had flown out, her now Digivolved partner. "DemiDevimon, Rookie Level," she read after pulling out her D-Agent. "Attacks: Demi Dart, Bat Flutter, and Dark Whisper."

"Demi Dart!" DemiDevimon yelled, flinging what looked like a decent sized syringe at one of the Gotsumon. Despite the fact that they were made of rock, it still managed to penetrate.

"Rock Fist!" the other yelled, aiming directly at DemiDevimon.

"Digital Enhancement. Speed: Connect!" Tanya yelled, swiping the desired card through her Digivice. DemiDevimon flew out of the way of the attack sent his way and sped toward the Gotsumon.

"Bat Flutter!" he yelled, flying circles around the artificial Digimon, beating it mercilessly with his wings, yet managing to dodge just out of reach every time Gotsumon tried to retaliate.

"Rock Fist!" it attacked, getting lucky and hitting one of DemiDevimon's wings. The Rookie tumbled back a few feet in the air before righting himself. Both Gotsumon ran at each other.

"What do you think they're doing?" Rei wondered out loud.

"Maybe they're going to give in and destroy each other," Karuto joked.

"Doubt it," Tanya replied. As soon as she said those words, they collided. Right when they hit, they began to glow and grew into a single form, larger in size than either alone. "See?"

"Did they just… Digivolve?" Karuto asked.

"This is definitely an impressive simulation," Dracmon had to admit. The Digimon they now faced looked like a triceratops, but it only had one horn, and was completely grey.

"Let's see what we're up against," Rei muttered, looking at her D-Agent. "Monochromon, Champion Level. Attack: Volcanic Strike."

"Let's send this dinosaur back into extinction!" Karuto said with a grin.

"For once, I have to agree with you, Onogi," Rei replied, sporting a grin of her own.

"Can you two just focus already?" Tanya asked, annoyed. Their competitive natures were really getting on her nerves.

"Volcanic Strike!" Monochromon attacked, firing a large fireball at them. The Digi-Destined all made it out of the way, as did most of the Digimon. Phascomon, predictably, was not quite fast enough.

"Phascomon!" his partner yelled. "Are you okay?"

"I've been better," he commented, standing. His eyes flashed slightly, and Dracmon and DemiDevimon knew that if they were in their fully Digivolved Mega forms, he would have just switched from Sleep Mode to Rage Mode.

"We're going to need some more firepower for this," Karuto commented. "Digital Ability. BlackWarGreymon's Terra Force: Connect!"

Dracmon held both hands out, and a large fireball formed between them, growing larger by the second. "Terra Force!" he yelled as soon as the fireball was about three times his own size, hurling it at the Champion, but it didn't seem to do much damage.

"Volcanic Strike!" it attacked again, this time hitting Dracmon. Both Dracmon and Phascomon began to glow.

"Dracmon Digivolve to… Sangloupmon!"

"Phascomon Digivolve to… Porcupamon!"

"Sangloupmon, Champion Level," Karuto read, looking at his partner, who now looked like a large purple wolf with blades in various locations on his body. "Attacks: Sticker Blade and Black Mind."

"Porcupamon, also Champion Level," Rei read, looking at the new Champion, who looked like a child-sized stuffed Franken-bear with no eyes and spines on various parts of its body. "Attacks: Madness Broach and Slash and Rip."

"That," Karuto started, staring at Porcupamon, "is probably the ugliest thing I've ever seen."

Rei wanted to jump to her partner's defense, but even she had to admit… He was pretty ugly. "Later, alright?" she said. "For now, let's just kick this thing's ass."

"I'm all for that," Sangloupmon said.

DemiDevimon glared at them all. Sure, he had Digivolved, but only to Rookie. He'd been of use in the battle, but only when the opponents were still Rookies themselves. Now, though, he was outmatched, and that did not sit well with the Demon Lord of Wrath.

"Sticker Blades!" Sangloupmon yelled, and suddenly, tiny blades flew from his body, straight at Monochromon, but most hit its back, bouncing harmlessly off the rock plating.

"Slash and Rip!" Porcupamon attacked, rushing at their opponent, readying the claws on his left paw. As soon as he reached the dinosaur Digimon, he darted to the side, slashing at the small bit of soft skin between the armored back and the plated underbelly. As soon as he reached the end of that, he veered off, staying out of reach of a devastating hit from the large, armored tail.

"Volcanic Strike!" the Champion yelled again, aiming at Sangloupmon.

"Digital Ability. Nefertimon's Rosetta Stone: Connect!" Karuto yelled, thinking fast.

"Rosetta Stone!" Sangloupmon yelled, and a large stone tablet flew out from his back, hitting Monochromon's attack head-on. It extinguished the flame and kept going, heading straight for his opponent. The Champion was destroyed upon impact.

"Yes!" Karuto said with a grin. "We won! We totally won!"

"We weakened him for you," Rei argued. "A lot. So it's a tie."

"Whatever," the youngest Digi-Destined said, rolling his eyes. "We destroyed him. See?" he added, holding up his new card with a picture of Monochromon on it.

"Yeah, yeah, keep gloating," the girl retorted. "We'll knock you off your high horse. Right, Porcupamon?" She paused. "Porcupamon?" She looked back to see her partner fast asleep. "Oh, come on!"

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

The next day, a boy with short black hair and brown eyes stood in the lobby of the Academy. He looked around at the large area. It wasn't too big, but it was certainly bigger than the lobby of his old school in America. He was an introvert, but he was really trying to work on that. His parents thought that enrolling him in Digimon Academy would help. They were about to go through the process at the American branch when they had to move because of his parents' jobs. Now, here he was, standing and waiting for someone to tell him what to do or where to go.

"Are you Tsucasa Simorna?" Hotaru asked. The boy nodded in response. "Well, let's have someone take you up to the—" Her D-Control beeped, signaling a call. "One moment, please." She pressed the button to answer it. "Hotaru speaking."

"Hey, get the new kid to the Sealed Room. We finally found another one," Shinji's voice said through the device.

"Alright," the woman said with a small smile, pressing another button to end the call. She glanced at the schedule and saw that just about everyone had classes at the moment. She'd have to take him up herself. "Datamon, I'll be back in a little bit. Hold down the fort for me, alright?"

"You got it," the machine Digimon replied, moving from his place under the desk to the chair to the top of the desk.

"Come with me," Hotaru said to Tsucasa, who simply nodded slightly and followed as she led him through the school to a closed door that seemed quite isolated from all of the classrooms. There was a dull thud from the inside, and when Hotaru opened the door, a large, dark colored Egg rolled out, stopping at Tsucasa's feet. After a questioning look at Hotaru, who nodded, he bent down and picked up the Egg. As soon as he touched it, a small crack appeared, and once the Egg was secure in his arms, the cracks spread, with light emitting from the inside. Eventually, the cracks spread to the bottom, causing the Egg to hatch. In its place sat a small white creature with antennae, a few horns on its back, and large red eyes.

"Who are you?" it asked immediately.

"Tsucasa Simorna," the boy answered quietly.

"He's your new partner," Hotaru clarified for both. "Now, let's get you both settled in your Dorm."

"What dorm?" the small Digimon asked. "Where am I?"

"Welcome to Digimon Academy, Pichimon," Hotaru said simply. "The others can fill you in later. Classes will be over in about an hour and a half." And with that, she led the way back to lobby and out the door, heading in the direction of five dorms. She took Tsucasa to the one at the end, opening the door and stepping inside. Tsucasa followed.

He was stunned by the quality of the dorm. It seemed more like what one would think the main entrance in a mansion would look like instead of student housing. There was a large television in a living room area, and there were also a few tables, presumably for doing homework. A large staircase stood in the middle, leading up to two hallways, one heading to the left and the other heading to the right.

"The boys' rooms are on the right," Hotaru said helpfully. "One of the rooms is already taken, but there are quite a few more. With you here, the D-Class has four students right now." She smiled. "I hope you enjoy your time here at Digimon Academy. I, however, need to go back to work. Your classmates will be joining you in a little while." And with that, she left.

_Awful big for just four students,_ Tsucasa thought, looking around again before heading up the stairs and going to the right. Eight doors were evenly spaced down the hall, making the sixteen year old a little confused. If they had four students, why were there eight doors on the boys' side? And there were probably eight on the girls' side, too. Shaking that thought, storing it for later, he began opening doors to see the rooms. The first door revealed an elegant room with a canopy bed, a plush carpet, a balcony, a desk with a computer, and many other extravagant things. A little too fancy for his taste. The second door was locked. This must be the room already taken by the other male student.

The next room was a little more promising. It had a bed, a desk with a computer, a window spanning most of the wall with green curtains, a dresser, and a dark green circular rug. He had a good feeling about this one, so he stepped inside and set his bag on the bed. He sat down beside it and looked down at his new, tiny partner.

"You're awful quiet, kid," Pichimon pointed out.

"I get that a lot," Tsucasa replied softly. "So, what's going on?"

"Like I know," the Fresh Level Digimon said. "One minute I'm in the Digital World with the others, the next, I'm in this place."

"I guess we have to wait for everyone else to get back, then," the boy said.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Will the two of you shut up?" Tanya asked, rolling her eyes. Karuto and Rei had started bickering again, but about what, Tanya had no idea. She'd stopped keeping track. She was usually able to tune them out… at least, until they started yelling.

"Look, Serata, just tell Onogi that _we_ won, would you?" Rei asked, looking at the boy in question with her arms crossed.

"You did not!" the younger student argued. "We _so_ had you cornered."

"I had a plan, and if the stupid bell hadn't rung, we would've mopped the floor with you!" the brunette yelled.

"Just quit it!" Tanya yelled, surprising both other students. She'd gotten annoyed with them, but this was the first time so far that they'd heard her yell. "Miura-sensei said that it was a draw, so it was a draw." She paused for a moment when she saw Mayu leaving their Dorm, but since they were going in different directions, they never passed each other.

"Wonder what Midorikawa-sensei was doing in our dorm," Porcupamon said.

"Dunno," Rei answered, breaking into a jog. "Let's go find out!" Karuto, not wanting to be outdone, quickly went to catch up with her.

"I wonder if it was because we have a new student," Tanya pondered.

"If so," DemiDevimon started, "I really pity them for getting greeted by those two." His partner laughed in response.

"I'm with you on that one," Tanya agreed. When she caught up with the others in the building, they couldn't see anyone, but could hear movement upstairs. A moment later, a sixteen year old boy with a Pichimon appeared and started walking down the stairs.

"Hi, everyone…" he said quietly.

"Hey, new guy! What's up?" Rei asked, temporarily pushing her more recent argument with Karuto to the side. The boy shrugged in response. "Uh… Well, anyway, welcome to Dorm E. I'm Rei Higurashi, and this is my partner, Porcupamon."

"I'm Karuto Onogi, and my partner's Sangloupmon," the younger boy said.

"And I'm Tanya Serata," the purple haired girl finished. "This is DemiDevimon."

"I'm Tsucasa," the boy said quietly. "And this is Pichimon."

"Since this kid's a Digi-Destined, does that mean that Pichimon's one of you guys?" Rei asked Porcupamon.

"Yeah," the Champion answered. "He is—or at least, used to be—the Demon Lord of Envy."

"What's going on here?" Pichimon asked, very out of the loop.

"Well," Sangloupmon started, "You remember how the humans caught up with us, right?"

"Yeah," Pichimon said. "Then they destroyed us."

"Well, they brought our Eggs back here," DemiDevimon added. "And we've been here for a long time. Beelzemon and Lucemon hatched about ten or so years ago, and they got partnered up with these two kids that were Digi-Destined. Now, it's our turn, I guess."

"So, Lilithmon's the only one still an Egg, huh?" Pichimon asked.

"Looks like it," Sangloupmon replied. "Can't wait to see Beelzemon when she hatches…"

"It won't be when she hatches that will be the problem," Porcupamon put in, yawning. "It will be when she gets to Mega Level again." With that, all Demon Lords present started snickering.

"What's so funny?" a voice said from the doorway, and all the students and their Digimon turned to see Beelzemon and Chiharu standing in the doorway.

"Nothing," Sangloupmon covered quickly. Back in the day, they all tried to stay on what was left of Beelzemon's good side. Lucemon was the only one that was a match for him, and that was because he was much better at strategizing. Based on brute strength, Beelzemon was the strongest of all the Demon Lords, which never really made sense to the others. One would expect the Demon Lord of Wrath to be the strongest, but somehow, in their sparring sessions, Beelzemon had always come out on top.

"Uh-huh…" the Mega said in a disbelieving tone, but decided to drop the subject. "Anyway, Simorna, yer bag with yer stuff's on the table," he added, pointing.

"It's got your uniform, your cards, your Digivice, and your schedule," Chiharu said.

Tsucasa walked over and reached into the bag, first pulling out the small device. It was originally white, but when he touched it, the base of it turned green, while the buttons turned silver. He stared at it for a moment before smiling a little. He'd heard bits and pieces about Digimon and the Academy. He knew what the Digi-Destined were, but for some reason, even after he had made an Egg react and hatch upon his touch, it hadn't really hit him that he was one of these people. But he knew that D-Powers, the Digivices given to Tamers, were assigned, already with their own color. It seemed stupid, but the moment that his touch activated the D-Agent was what made it all feel real.

"The other kids will fill ya in," Beelzemon said. "Try ta get along, alright?" He sent a piercing glare towards Rei and Karuto. Karuto gulped and Rei merely grinned. Beelzemon and Chiharu left, closing the door behind them.

"So, how much do you know about the history of the Digi-Destined and the Seven Great Demon Lords?" Rei asked, being the most knowledgeable on the subject.

"The basics," Tsucasa replied. This was honestly the most he'd ever talked to someone he wasn't related to in a really long time. "I know that six kids were partnered with Digimon, two of the being Demon Lords, and that they had to stop the enemy that the Demon Lords couldn't a long time ago. And I know that the Demon Lords actually started out as good guys, but got corrupted with power, and I know that one of the Digi-Destined had to die to seal their enemy in a Gate."

"That's pretty much the gist of it, yeah," Tanya commented. "Well, now we're here. We're the new Digi-Destined, and each of us is partnered with one of the old Demon Lords. DemiDevimon was the Demon Lord of Wrath."

"Porcupamon was the Demon Lord of Sloth," Rei said. The Demon Lord in question yawned. "No surprise there."

"And Sangloupmon was the Demon Lord of Greed," Karuto finished.

"And you said Pichimon used to be the Demon Lord of Envy?" Tsucasa asked, earning a node from the other Digimon. He glanced down to see the Fresh Level Digimon in question looking annoyed. "What's wrong?"

"Everyone else is already Rookie or higher!" he complained petulantly.

"Duh," Sangloupmon said. "You just hatched, moron."

"What, you thought you were just going to hatch and be right at Mega Level again?" DemiDevimon asked. "I think we'd all like that, but tough luck, we have to work for it."

"Easy for you to say," Pichimon muttered. "You're a Rookie."

"Just leave him alone," Porcupamon suggested. "He's in a mood."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Just one more, huh?" Mayu asked, sitting at her desk in her classroom, watching Chiharu pace. After briefly checking to make sure that Tsucasa was settled, Chiharu had gone back to her classroom to grade some papers, but her thoughts kept her distracted. Now, at almost seven thirty, she was in Mayu's classroom, speaking with her closest human friend and both of their partners.

"Yeah," the brunette replied. "All we have left is Lilithmon, and then they'll all be back."

"But is that a good thing, or a bad thing?" Mayu pondered.

"It could very well be both," Lucemon commented. "It will be good for their training…"

"But… Lilithmon," Beelzemon muttered. "Not so good."

"Why, is she going to be a problem?" Chiharu asked.

"Not at all," Lucemon said with a shrug.

"Yeah!" Beelzemon growled. "Yeah, she will!"

"Why?" Mayu asked curiously, and Lucemon wore a mischievous grin.

"Oh, they left on… _unfortunate_ terms," he said cryptically. Both women thought on that for a moment.

"Oh, my god…" Chiharu said, a grin slowly working its way to her face. "Were you two a _thing_?"

"No!" the Demon Lord of Gluttony replied a little too fast.

"You so were!" his partner exclaimed with a laugh.

"It was a long time ago, and she just can't take no fer an answer," Beelzemon grumbled.

"Well," Mayu commented, "This is going to be interesting."

**Next time:  
>Rei: Well, looks like we're all here, then.<br>Mikage: Mikage has no interest in fighting alongside you. He's not in the mood.  
>Tanya: Oooookaaaay, then.<br>YukimiBotamon: Beelzemon! There you are!  
>Beelzemon: Aw, shit.<strong>

**Yeah… Beelzemon and Lilithmon have a history together. And she still flirts with him a lot, much to his annoyance. This will NOT be a BeelzemonxLilithmon story, as Lilithmon isn't actually looking to get back together with him. She's just teasing him, she just tends to take it a little too far, which pisses him off. Anyway… When Mikage is speaking in the preview, the reason it's in third person is because he speaks via a puppet, usually Mr. Froggy. Hope I managed to keep everyone in character. Tanya is a pretty laid back, relaxed person, but anyone can only take so much of Rei and Karuto's constant back and forth.**

**And sorry Tsucasa didn't really show up until the end, and is actually barely in this chapter, but shortly after I started, it started to run away from me. Hehe… Also, Chiharu wasn't going to let Tanya fall during their training. She had her finger on the button, but stopped once she saw DemiDevimon Digivolve and the other two helped her out.**

**Another thing. I have been asked for help with this, so I'm putting out an advertisement. To all Pokémon fans out there: Westlyking is writing a Pokémon Academy story, accepting OCs. Required info includes: Name, age (10-14), gender, height, skin tone, brief backstory/personality, # of Pokémon if any (they may be a starting trainer), Pokémon nicknames, genders, abilities, moves, evolutions, the reason for the nicknames, how each Pokémon was acquired, the personalities of the Pokémon, how they interact with the trainer, and what the first battle was like for each of them with the trainer. Please contact Westlyking for more details.**

**So… Please review, and I'll see you all next week~**


	6. Lust and Puppets

**Now we're on Episode 6~ Moving right along, aren't we?**

_**Tsucasa:**__ "A few days ago, my parents enrolled me in Digimon Academy, trying to get me to open up to people. I became a Digi-Destined when one of the Seven Great Demon Lords, who was once Leviamon of Envy, hatched when I touched his Egg. The other Digi-Destined seem nice enough, even though Higurashi and Onogi are always going at it. Before I got there, the three others practiced fighting as a team, but I heard that didn't go over too well. Hopefully, everyone will get better with time, because from my understanding, we're going to need to be able to work together to stop what's coming."_

* * *

><p>"When do you think we'll go to the Digital World?" Rei asked suddenly. She, Karuto, Tanya, and Tsucasa were all sitting in the dorm. Tsucasa was doing homework, Tanya was resting her eyes, and Rei and Karuto were playing a heated game of table soccer with a crumpled piece of paper.<p>

"Dunno," Karuto replied, never losing his concentration. He refused to lose to her. "Why?"

"Come on," she said with a grin. "Don't you think it would be awesome? Digimon everywhere, brand new scenery…"

"Digimon just waiting to attack you," Tanya commented without opening her eyes. "When we go, it's not going to be for a picnic or something. We won't be able to afford to let our guards down. We're barely safe here at the Academy as it is." Tsucasa, since there hadn't been any more Gates opening since he arrived, looked a bit confused.

"Every once in a while, a Gate to the Digital World opens up somewhere in the school. One of the things that we're supposed to do is stop them, but we're not quite at the point where we can do that yet. We barely made it out that last time," Karuto explained. "There was a whole group of Champion Digimon called Ninjamon, and that's when my and Rei's Digimon Digivolved to Rookie Level."

"Hmph," Pichimon said with a scowl, clearly still unhappy that everyone else was stronger than him. Demon Lord of Envy, true to form.

"How did you get your Digimon to Digivolve from Fresh to In-Training?" Tsucasa asked quietly.

"Well, we had little battles with each other in gym," Rei informed him, "but you're the only one at a really low level, so I'm not sure."

"I heard that Beelzemon first Digivolved from Fresh to In-Training when Miura-sensei just fed him enough," Karuto commented.

"That's probably because he's the Demon Lord of Gluttony," DemiDevimon pointed out. "Eating is kind of his thing." Everyone else laughed in response.

"Maybe you should go talk to one of the teachers," Tanya suggested. "They might be able to get in some extra training for you if you want to catch up quickly."

"Do it!" Pichimon ordered, but coming from the mouth of such a tiny Digimon, it sounded more adorable than it did threatening. His partner nodded.

"Alright," he said, closing his textbook and standing. "See you," he said quietly to the others as he stood, picking up Pichimon and exiting the dorm.

"He's really quiet," Rei commented as soon as the Tsucasa left.

"Maybe he's hiding something," Karuto joked.

"Or he's just shy," Tanya commented.

"I wonder when Lilithmon's going to hatch," DemiDevimon commented, having been thinking about it for a while.

"Good question," Sangloupmon said, "but I'd assume it would be soon, since the rest of us are all here."

Porcupamon laughed, though he yawned halfway through. "That will be fun."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Tsucasa knocked lightly on the door to the Digimon History classroom. Chiharu had been the leader of the original Digi-Destined, so it was only logical that he go to her for assistance. And at this time of day, he was most likely to find her in her classroom, grading papers or tests.

"Come in," she called from inside. When he opened the door and stepped inside, she looked up. "Oh, Simorna. How can I help you?" she asked, setting down her pen.

"We want to get stronger," Pichimon said bluntly. "Help us do it."

Chiharu laughed a little. "Alright, alright. I'll see if I can ask an R-Class student to come in for a little extra credit, alright? They can help you in a friendly little battle."

"Okay," Tsucasa said in his usual quiet manner.

Almost as if on cue, Souta Onogi walked in, carrying his partner who had finally hatched, Dodomon. "Miura-sensei?" he asked. "I was a little confused about the homework. Can you help me?"

The brunette smiled at the young boy. "Of course," she promised. "But first, could you help us out a little? Simorna needs a little help training, and you're just the kid for the job, if you don't mind."

Souta looked at Tsucasa and Pichimon for a moment. The orange uniform meant that he was a Digi-Destined, just like Karuto. And that meant that if they ever went up against a really strong Digimon, they'd have to fight together. If he helped this kid get stronger, he'd be helping to protect his brother. "Okay," he said with a small smile. Chiharu led the two to the gym.

"Alright, you two, I think this goes without saying, but I want a nice, clean match. No dirty tricks, no name calling, nothing like that. Got it?" she asked, sending a pointed look Pichimon's way. From what she'd heard from Beelzemon and what she'd gathered on her own, the small Demon Lord was jealous that all of the other Demon Lords that had hatched were at Rookie level or higher, and he would do just about anything to catch up, meaning that Chiharu had to keep a careful eye on the Demon Lord of Envy.

Both of the human students nodded at her, and she smiled in response. "Battle… begin!"

"Iron Beads!" Dodomon yelled, attacking first. He was trying to get the upper hand fast, since he could sense that there was something unnatural about his opponent.

"Bubble Blow!" Pichimon retaliated, blowing the slightly large bubbles at the attack headed his way. As expected, the two cancelled each other out. "Bubble Blow!" he repeated.

"Digital Enhancement. Speed: Connect!" Souta yelled, swiping the card and saving his partner from harm.

"Iron Beads!" Dodomon repeated, firing again. This time, Pichimon was too slow to block or dodge.

"Pichimon!" Tsucasa said, and though it was still quiet, it was louder than anyone at the Academy had ever heard him speak before. "Digital Ability. Renamon's Diamond Storm: Connect!"

"Diamond Storm!" Pichimon yelled, firing the Rookie Level attack. Dodomon was able to avoid most of it, but a few diamond shards hit him, doing significant damage.

"Dodomon!" Souta yelled, concerned for his partner.

"I'm okay," the small Digimon reassured the human. "Iron Beads!" he attacked again, hitting Pichimon straight on. The Demon Lord slid back a few feet, but was otherwise okay.

Pichimon began to glow, and a few moments later, a larger was in his place. This one was grey, with a small fiery mohawk and awkwardly large flippers.

"Bukamon," Tsucasa read quietly, looking over the information provided by his D-Agent. "In-Training Level. Attack: Bubble Blow."

"Bubble Blow!" Bukamon yelled, and these bubbles were larger, faster, and stronger than the ones he produced when he was still at Fresh Level. The bubbles all hit Dodomon, and the smaller Digimon looked worn out.

"We give up!" Souta said quickly to prevent his partner from taking more damage.

"I haven't even made it to Rookie yet!" Bukamon argued.

"Well, yer gonna hafta deal with it," Beelzemon told him. "We ain't gonna let you kill a classmate."

"But it's to help defeat Millenniummon," the In-Training Demon Lord tried.

"No deal," Beelzemon said. "Nice try."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"I see he Digivolved," Tanya commented, glancing up as Tsucasa and Bukamon returned to the dorm. Bukamon was currently hanging off of the boy's shoulder.

"Not enough," the Demon Lord of Envy complained. Everyone else was still so far ahead of him! Porcupamon and Sangloupmon were at Champion Level already, and DemiDevimon was probably close. It was only a matter of time…

"Relax," Sangloupmon told the small Digimon. "You'll catch up eventually."

"I wanna catch up _now_!" Bukamon protested.

"If impatience was a sin, you'd represent _that_ instead of envy," Rei commented. DemiDevimon, Sangloupmon, and Porcupamon all laughed.

"You don't know the half of it," DemiDevimon put in. "When he wants something, he wants it now."

"You can all shut up now!" Bukamon yelled, getting annoyed with all of them. The anger coming from such a tiny Digimon only caused more laughter, however.

"Why don't we go up to our room?" Tsucasa suggested to his partner. He took the lack of an answer as a yes and began heading up the stairs.

"Wonder if we'll ever work as a team…" Tanya muttered.

"Somehow, I doubt it," DemiDevimon told her, watching Rei and Karuto. The two were playing cards, but both were obviously cheating, causing heated glares and loud arguments. The purple haired girl sighed and shook her head. These two were like this, Tsucasa was such an introvert that he would barely talk to them… She just hoped that their final member wasn't a complete nutcase.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

A thin, fifteen year old boy with combed back dark chocolate brown hair and onyx eyes stood in front of the school. By his side was an old woman, his grandmother. A decently sized frog puppet sat over his left hand while he held a bag in his right. "He's not going to be happy about this," the boy said, using ventriloquism via his puppet.

"He doesn't have a choice," the boy's grandmother said. "Your father has put too much stress on you, and it's time that that stops." She smiled at the boy. "Now, let's get you settled, alright?"

The boy nodded and followed his grandmother inside.

Hotaru looked up from her computer when she heard the door open. "Oh, you must be Mikage Azumimaya," she said. "We're pleased to have you here." Her D-Control beeped. "Shinji? Is it…" She paused, obviously waiting to hear whatever was being said on the other line. "Alright. Can you send someone down? Thanks." She set down her Digivice and turned back to Mikage and his grandmother. "Wait just a moment," she said, "Someone will be right down to help you."

And merely a few moments later, Chiharu arrived, Beelzemon in tow. "So this is him, then?" Chiharu asked.

"Apparently," Hotaru reported. "Shinji told me that _her_ Egg is starting to get restless."

"Great…" Beelzemon muttered sarcastically. "This'll be fun…"

"What are you all talking about?" Mikage's grandmother asked.

"Uh, right. Come on, there's somewhere I have to take you." And with that, Chiharu led the boy and his grandmother to a room that was becoming very familiar to the teacher and her Demon Lord partner. As soon as the door opened, as predicted, the last of the seven Eggs the room once held came rolling out, stopping by Mikage's feet. "Go on," the brunette teacher told him. "Pick it up."

Mikage looked at her for a moment before deciding that he had nothing better to do, so he picked up the Egg. As soon as he touched it, it began to shake and crack. Once it hatched, a small, white creature with light pink cheeks and marshmallow ears stared up at him with large, black eyes. Chiharu glanced behind her to see Beelzemon mysteriously missing.

"Hello," the small Digimon said, still looking up at her new partner. "Where am I, exactly? And who are you?"

But the boy's hand that held the puppet was also holding Lilithmon, thus giving him no intention of speaking. Chiharu sighed.

"This is Mikage Azumimaya," she said. "And you're at Digimon Academy."

"What am I doing _here_?" she asked disdainfully.

"Joining the other six Demon Lords as partners to the Digi-Destined," Chiharu replied plainly.

"The others are here, too?" she asked, earning a nod. "Where are they?"

"In a minute," the teacher told her. She turned to Mikage's grandmother. "Thank you for bringing him here," she said with a smile. "You don't know how important this is."

"Oh, but I do," the old woman said with a smile of her own. "I remember the day you and the others returned, ten years ago." She turned to Mikage. "Now, remember, behave." He face turned soft. "But don't forget to have fun, dear."

The boy wore a blank look, but nodded. They were first led back to the front entrance, where Mikage's grandmother bade them farewell. After that, Chiharu took the boy to Dorm E.

"This will be your dorm while you're here," Chiharu told him. "There are four others, so try to get along, hm? Teamwork is important for all of you." The boy, as already predicted, gave no reply. With a small sigh, Chiharu opened the door, letting the boy enter.

"Everyone, we have a new Digi-Destined," Chiharu announced, drawing the attention of the students in the room. "This is Mikage Azumimaya, he'll be joining you in the D-Class."

"Well, looks like we're all here, then," Rei commented.

"I'll leave you all to get acquainted," Chiharu said, turning to leave.

"Hey, where's Beelzemon?" DemiDevimon asked with a smirk.

"Beelzemon's here?!" YukimiBotamon asked, apparently intrigued, causing all other Demon Lords present to snicker.

"Yes, he's here at the Academy, he's just… somewhere else right now," the goggle-headed teacher replied, leaving and closing the door behind her.

Mikage set YukimiBotamon down on the table and raised the hand with Mr. Froggy on it.

"Cool puppet," Rei said. Mikage ignored her comment. "Anyway… I'm Rei Higurashi, and this is my partner, Porcupamon, originally Belphemon, the Demon Lord of Sloth." As if to prove her point, Porcupamon promptly fell asleep, causing his partner to roll her eyes while almost everyone laughed.

"I'm Karuto Onogi," Karuto told him. "And this is my partner Sangloupmon. He used to be Barbamon, the Demon Lord of Greed."

"I'm Tanya Serata," Tanya said. "This is DemiDevimon, formerly known as Daemon, the Demon Lord of Wrath." She, Rei, and Karuto all looked at Tsucasa, but he seemed too uncomfortable with the attention to speak. "And that's Tsucasa Simorna," the purple-haired girl added. "His partner's Bukamon, but he used to be Leviamon, the Demon Lord of Envy."

"And I'm YukimiBotamon," the small puffball Digimon said. "I used to be Lilithmon, the Demon Lord of Lust."

"Well, now that we're all here," Rei commented, "We can actually start training to fight as a team."

"Mikage has no interest in fighting alongside you," the boy said via his puppet. "He's not in the mood."

The other Digi-Destined and their partners stared at him, unsure of what to make of this new boy. "Oooookaaaay, then," Tanya muttered.

"Like it or not, you're going to have to team up with us at some point," Karuto pointed out. "You might as well just get used to it."

"Mikage will do just fine on his own," the puppet relayed. "He won't need you slowing him down."

Karuto stared at the boy for a moment, already getting pissed off at Mikage's attitude. "Bedrooms are upstairs," he said through gritted teeth. "Boys are on the right."

Without any thank you, or even acknowledgement, Mikage picked up YukimiBotamon and headed up the stairs to find a room.

"Well, he's cheerful," Rei commented dryly.

"What's with the whole puppet thing?" Bukamon asked. "Creepy…"

"I am _so_ not looking forward to working with him," Karuto complained.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Mikage set YukimiBotamon on his new bed, sitting next to her and putting his bag on the ground. He knew the other students didn't like him, but that didn't bother him in the slightest. He didn't come to Digimon Academy to make friends. He came for two reasons: one, to get an education, and two, more importantly, to get away from his father. Coming to Digimon Academy had been his grandmother's idea. His father was an over-controlling bastard who wanted his son to be nothing short of perfect. He wanted the same thing of Mikage's mother, which was why his parents had divorced. Mikage, however, had been stuck with his dad. His father made him study all the time, forbidding him from making friends, and cooping him up in the house when he wasn't at school. Which was why his grandmother had decided to take him away.

She'd enrolled him in secret, and as soon as he was accepted, she waited until a day where Mikage had off from school for a teacher's conference and took him while his father was at work. Mikage had known about his grandmother's plan for weeks, but he'd spent those weeks doubting that it would work, convinced that his father would find out before he had the chance to leave. But his father learned nothing, and, as promised, his grandmother brought him to the school. He was dreading, however, the moment his father found out. Chances were, he would try to come and take him back. He doubted that the school would let him go easily, though. He had vague memories of when he was just five, when the Gates had opened up. He knew how important the Digi-Destined were, so he knew that this school needed him.

"Hey, are you okay?" YukimiBotamon asked him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Why do you care?" he asked, again via his puppet. "Aren't you a Demon Lord?"

"Yeah," she replied, "But if you're my new partner, then don't you think I should know if there's a problem?" Mikage got the impression that if she had a full body instead of just a head, she'd be standing there with her hands on her hips.

"I guess you're right," he commented. "But I'm fine," he lied smoothly. Using his puppet required him to be very good at ventriloquism. As such, he didn't have to move his face much when speaking, and was able to hide his emotions much better than most. After all, he didn't have to use many facial muscles when speaking, so there was a much lower chance of anything being betrayed.

YukimiBotamon gave him a brief disbelieving look, but decided to drop the subject for the moment. It wasn't in her interest to pry. Well, not at the moment, at least.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"So, I heard Lilithmon hatched today," Lucemon commented to Beelzemon. Both Demon Lords, Mayu, and Chiharu were again meeting in Mayu's classroom.

"Did you see her yet?" Mayu teased.

"No, he ran off before she was finished hatching," Chiharu replied. "You know, you can't run away forever."

"I sure as hell can try!" the Demon Lord of Gluttony hissed. "That bitch is just creepy!"

"But we have classes to teach tomorrow," Chiharu pointed out. "You can't run away from those."

"… Shit."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Beelzemon! There you are!" YukimiBotamon exclaimed as the D-Class students entered the gym. Mikage's grade hadn't had gym in the morning, so Beelzemon had been able to stay out of her sights, but now, in their afternoon gym class, there was no escape.

"Aw, shit," he muttered.

"It's been such a long time!" she went on to say.

"Yeah, a long time since ya let me _die_." He rolled his eyes.

"Please tell me you're not stuck on _that_ minor detail," she replied.

"Ya call that _minor_?!" he hissed, using what little self-control he had to keep himself from drawing the Berenjena on her.

"I take it they left on messy terms?" Rei guessed.

"Considering that she didn't try to stop Lucemon from killing him, yeah," Porcupamon answered.

"Ahem," Chiharu said, clearing her throat. "Let's get class underway. Since we usually start out with Higurashi and Onogi, we'll try something different. Serata, come on up."

Tanya stood, a bit confused. DemiDevimon was still at Rookie level. Who were they supposed to fight? Regardless of her confusion, however, she went over to one side of the mats, DemiDevimon in tow.

"Beelzemon?" the brunette teacher asked her partner.

"I thought you were jokin' last night…" he complained.

"No, joke, now come on, we're wasting time," Chiharu argued.

"Fine, fine," he muttered bitterly before beginning to glow. The light of his body began to shrink, and when it subsided, a child-sized purple Digimon with a white face in a red bandana stood in his place.

"Impmon, Rookie Level," Tanya read. "Attacks: Bada-Boom, Infernal Funnel, and Pillar of Fire." She looked over at DemiDevimon, who had gone as white as a sheet.

"We have to fight _him_?" he asked nervously, and Tanya was startled to see this kind of fear from the Demon Lord of Wrath. Then again, she'd overheard the other Demon Lords talking about how Beelzemon had been the strongest of all of them. Put that together with the fact that he'd had ten extra years to get even stronger and the grudge he most likely held against all of them for letting him die, and Tanya could see why DemiDevimon was dreading this fight. But she also knew that Chiharu wouldn't let Beelzemon kill him.

"That's right," Impmon said with a fanged smirk, cracking his knuckles. "Now prepare for some major ass kickin'."

"Battle… Begin!"

"Demi Dart!" DemiDevimon yelled, hurling one of his syringes at his opponent. If he made the first move, and got in the first hit, maybe he'd stand a chance.

"Bada-Boom!" Impmon yelled, hurling a small fireball at the syringe, destroying it. "C'mon," he taunted, "Is that the best the Demon Lord of Wrath's got?"

Chiharu was about to yell at him, but paused. Phascomon had wanted to get the battle over quickly so that he could go back to sleep. He'd Digivolved to Porcupamon. Dracmon was greedy for more power. He'd Digivolved to Sangloupmon. Pagumon had gotten pissed that he was weak. He'd Digivolved to DemiDevimon. And Pichimon was jealous of everyone else being Rookie and higher. He'd Digivolved to Bukamon. Not to mention, when her own partner had first Digivolved from Kiimon to Yaamon, all she'd had to do was feed him.

The Demon Lords got stronger when each of their traits came out. Impmon may not be the brightest bulb in the box, but it seemed like he realized this, and acted accordingly to help DemiDevimon Digivolve. He hadn't taunted anyone this much since the Devas… She shook herself out of those thoughts, though the annoying laugh and smug face of a monkey haunted her mind.

"Dark Whisper!" the Demon Lord of Wrath yelled.

Impmon, already knowing all of hit opponent's little tricks, jumped up, temporarily out of view from DemiDevimon and safe from the attack. He thrust both arms forward. "Infernal Funnel!" he yelled, and a decently sized fire circled DemiDevimon. His only hope of escape was up, but he would have to was another moment, after Impmon was forced to land. Neither he, nor Tanya, expected Chiharu's next move.

"Digital Enhancement," the brunette teacher started, pulling out a card. "Hyper Wings: Connect!"

The data flowed from the device to Impmon's back, forming glowing wings as he was beginning to descend. He was able to regain his original position above the inferno. DemiDevimon was trapped.

Tanya got an idea. "Digital Enhancement. Gatling Arm. Digital Ability. Gargomon's Gargo Laser: Connect!"

The data flew toward one of DemiDevimon's wings, causing him to flap much harder with the other. "Gargo Laser!" he yelled, opening fire on Impmon. The latter was forced to abandon his position, allowing DemiDevimon to escape the fire. As soon as it was no longer effective, the inferno disappeared.

"Not bad," Impmon commented, being forced to land as his temporary wings disappeared. "But not good enough. Bada-Boom!" The attack headed straight for DemiDevimon with such speed and force that the Demon Lord of Wrath was unable to dodge in time. The attack hit its target with deadly accuracy, causing the Rookie to go tumbling backwards a few feet. He growled in anger, furious that he didn't seem to be even close to the skill level of his old teammate. This, of course, was when he began to glow. When the glow subsided, a Digimon only slightly shorter than Beelzemon was stood in his place. It had long arms and large, ratty bat wings.

"Devimon, Champion Level," Tanya read, intrigued by her partner's new form. "Attacks: Touch of Evil and Death Hand."

"Death Hand!" Devimon yelled, unleashing an unholy blast from one of his hands. Impmon jumped out of the way, avoiding the attack.

"Bada-Boom!" the Rookie yelled, firing at the Champion. Even though he was at a higher level at the moment, Devimon was still caught off guard by the strength of the attack and was shoved back a few feet.

"Wow…" Tsucasa said quietly. He, along with the other Digi-Destined, never expected a Rookie's attack to best a Champion.

"Touch of Evil!" Devimon attempted, reaching out to Impmon with both hands.

"Nice try!" he yelled back. "Pillar of Fire!" As soon as the words left his mouth, tall pillars of fire flew up from the floor, making a wall separating the two Demon Lords for the time being.

Tanya bit her lip, trying to think of a way around this new obstacle. And from the look on her teacher's face, she had to think fast. "Digital Enhancement. WarGreymon's Shield: Connect!"

The shield formed over one of Devimon's arms, and just in time.

"Digital Ability. SkullGreymon's Ground Zero: Connect!" It was the right move to make, but Chiharu had to clench her eyes shut for a moment to try to drive away the memories that came with that one, simple attack.

The large missile crashed through the wall of fire, aiming straight at Devimon. His eyes widened as the missile hit the shield. The shield shattered into tiny bits of loose data upon impact, but it was clear that the collision had made the attack lose much of its power. However, it was still a strong attack, and the missile sent Devimon flying backwards into a wall. He didn't move.

"This battle is over," Chiharu said calmly. "Use a Recharge card. He's not going to die from that, but he _will_ hurt a lot unless you use it."

"R-Right…" Tanya said. She had realized that Chiharu was a strong battler, but she never would have guessed that she'd be _this_ strong. "Digital Enhancement. Recharge: Connect!"

Energy flowed into Devimon, allowing him to stand. He still ached, but not nearly as much as before. He glanced over to see that Impmon had Digivolved back to Beelzemon. He glared. "I demand a rematch!" he yelled, furious over his loss. His fury was blinding him of his fear of the other Demon Lord.

"I kicked yer ass when I was a Rookie," he pointed out. He grabbed the Berenjena and spun them a few times before aiming them at the Champion. "Ya really wanna try again?"

Devimon paused. Beelzemon was right. He would easily die if he took on the Demon Lord of Gluttony as he was now.

Chiharu gave Beelzemon a look. "What?" he asked. "I wasn't gonna _use_ 'em," he said, holstering his guns again.

"That was a little harsh, Miura-sensei…" Karuto pointed out after a moment. "You didn't have to beat them as badly to train them, right?"

The brunette sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "It's more than likely that you're going to the Digital World some day," she pointed out. "And the Digimon there… They won't be holding back. They won't give you mercy if you start to get tired or injured. It's my job to prepare you for what's going to come." She closed her eyes. "It's my job to make sure you'll all survive."

**Next time:  
>Chiharu: You wanted to see me, Headmaster?<br>Headmaster: Yes. As you know, the new Digi-Destined will be going to the Digital World as soon as they are ready. You and Mayu are to accompany them. And again, you will lead them.  
>Chiharu: I… I don't know if I can, Sir… I don't think I can go through that again…<br>Dynasmon: We're not giving you a choice.  
>Rei: Guys, we got a problem!<br>Karuto: No, shit!  
>Tanya: We've got to save them.<strong>

**So… there you have it. Bee still kicks butt, even as a Rookie. Like I stated before, Beelzemon was the strongest of the Demon Lords, so it was only natural that he could still beat one of them up while they were at Champion Level and he was still a Rookie. Don't ask me why Beelzemon is the strongest, I'm not sure, but… It just sorta worked out that way.**

**Again, hope I got everyone's characters correct. (Damn, Mikage's going to be such a fun character to write~) Anyway, please Review, and I'll see you next week~**


	7. A Hostage Situation

**Alright, so before I begin, I have a few notes about last episode: Someone mentioned how there should be six of them, not five. While this would normally be the case, this is a special situation. All of the Demon Lords have been called, making five new Digi-Destined, plus the added support of Chiharu and Mayu. Also, it was mentioned how funny last chapter was. I knew I'd been spitting a lot of angst at you guys lately, so I thought I'd give you a little break and add in some of my usual humor. And regarding Mikage, I've just stopped mentioning that he talks using his puppet. He always does (though there's a possibility that he will, on very **_**rare**_** occasions, speak on his own). So, unless he doesn't use the puppet, I'm not going to bother. So… On to episode 7~**

_**Mikage:**__"A few days ago, my grandmother took me away from my home and brought me to Digimon Academy, something I really appreciate. Things weren't going so well at home with my father, so my grandmother decided to give me the opportunity at a better life. She wants me to make friends, but I don't have the time for that. I'm more interested in my studies. When I arrived, I made the Egg of the last of the Demon Lords hatch, Lilithmon of Lust, although at the moment, she's a tiny white marshmallow called YukimiBotamon. I became a Digi-Destined, meaning that I'm where I'm 'supposed to be', but I know that one day, my father will come to retrieve me. I can only dread the day, but I know that the Academy won't give me up so easily."_

* * *

><p>Mikage sat at the desk in his room, reading through his science textbook, but his mind wouldn't absorb the information on the page. He was too preoccupied, and he hated it.<p>

His father. He knew the man would come for him, soon. His grandmother had told his father a story about sending him to a study camp, but that excuse would only hold up for so long. He was on a business trip, but when he got back and saw that Mikage still wasn't home, the boy knew he'd get suspicious.

"Is something the matter?" YukimiBotamon asked her partner. She'd asked every time he looked down, but every time, he gave her the same answer.

The brunette looked up and stared at her for a moment before lifting his left arm, which, as usual, held his puppet, Mr. Froggy. "Mikage is fine," he reported. "He needs to study." And with that, he put his arm back down, causing YukimiBotamon to frown. She could already feel the natural bond that was forming between her and the human, though she was sure that the boy hadn't felt it, yet. From what she understood, the others hadn't bonded this fast, but perhaps it was because she was the only female. She couldn't be sure, though. All she knew was that she was worried about Mikage, and he wasn't telling her what was on his mind.

"Alright…" she replied, which was her constant response. She just hoped that he'd open up to her soon.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"You wanted to see me, Headmaster?" Chiharu asked, standing in the office. Classes were over for the day, and Beelzemon, having been ticked off enough by YukimiBotamon again, went to let off some steam in the Team Battling room. So, when Chiharu was summoned to the Headmaster's office, she went alone.

"Yes," the old man started, motioning for the young woman to sit. She complied. "As you know, the new Digi-Destined will be going to the Digital World as soon as they are ready. You and Mayu are to accompany them. And again, you will lead them."

The brunette froze. She was supposed to lead these children in the Digital World, after what happened last time? They'd lost so many friends, and she couldn't stop any of it. She adored her students, even her new ones. She wouldn't be able to handle it if she lost someone again. "I… I don't think I can, Sir…" she started as her eyes began to water. "I don't think I can go through that again…"

"We're not giving you a choice," Dynasmon told her. "Despite the loss of Hideaki, you led the Digi-Destined to victory. Thanks to your leadership, both worlds were saved from total destruction. And now we're relying on you again."

The teacher closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths to try to calm herself. She knew she had to do this. Dynasmon was right. But that didn't make it hurt any less. "Alright…" she said softly. "When they're ready…"

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Tsucasa, with Bukamon in his normal place of hanging off of the human's shoulder, stood in front of the Team Battling room. He tried to open the door, but found it locked. The room was open to students at all hours until curfew, so someone must already be inside. Tsucasa then walked to the door to the observation room. This door was unlocked, so he took the handle and opened it, stepping inside.

He stepped over to the window to see a beach. There were four Digimon, one of which was familiar. The other three were much larger than him.

"SkullScorpiomon, Ultimate Level," he read the data on the first of Beelzemon's opponents quietly. "Attacks: Poison Pierce and Black Out." He looked at the next one. "Vikemon, Mega Level. Attacks: Arctic Blizzard and Viking Flare." He turned to see the last one. "MarineDevimon, Ultimate Level. Attacks: Dark Deluge and Evil Wing."

"Poison Pierce!" SkullScorpiomon yelled, thrusting its deadly tail at the Demon Lord. Beelzemon jumped out of the way at the last minute, wearing a grin that was all too familiar to Bukamon and terrified Tsucasa.

"Double Impact!" the Mega yelled, firing at his first opponent. The bullets hit their mark and sent SkullScorpiomon sliding back through the sand. "Oh, please," Beelzemon said, rolling his eyes. "Yer makin' this too easy. Is that the best ya got?"

"Arctic Blizzard!" Vikemon called out, attacking from behind.

"So, ya wanna play dirty?" Beelzemon asked, never losing that cocky smirk. "I can do that." He holstered the Berenjena and appeared to be waiting for something.

"Dark Deluge!" MarineDevimon called out, shooting a dark, ink-like substance from its mouth.

"Arctic Blizzard!" Vikemon yelled again.

Beelzemon simply stood there as the attacks headed for him on either side, but at the last minute, he jumped up to dodge the moves. MarineDevimon and Vikemon were each thrown back as the attacks hit each other. "Double Impact!" he yelled, once again drawing the Berenjena in midair. One was aimed at Vikemon, while the other was aimed at MarineDevimon. MarineDevimon, being an Ultimate that had just suffered a Mega's attack, fell to the ground. As Beelzemon began to fall from his place in the air, he used MarineDevimon as a springboard and holstered the guns yet again. "Darkness Claw!" he yelled once he was directly over SkullScorpiomon. The Ultimate was further weakened, but it wasn't down for the count yet.

"Poison Pierce!" it tried again, and this time, because Beelzemon was in the air with no way to dodge properly, he took a little damage, though it wasn't very serious. It was just enough to piss the Demon Lord off.

"Darkness Claw!" Beelzemon attacked again as he got even closer. This final attack was able to destroy the Ultimate. He turned to the remaining opponents. "Who's next?" he asked with the same deranged smirk as earlier.

"Dark Deluge!" MarineDevimon yelled, charging forward to get in closer. Beelzemon was able to dodge this attack as he had the others, enraging the very realistic simulation.

"Double Impact!" the Mega yelled, attacking again. His Ultimate level opponent had taken severe damage from the blow it had been dealt by Vikemon, so this final attack destroyed it, as well.

"Looks like it's just you and me, fuzz ball," the Demon Lord said with a laugh.

"Viking Flare!" Vikemon yelled in response, removing the large weapon from its back and charging Beelzemon with a roar.

"Double Impact!" Beelzemon attacked again, firing continuous shots at his final opponent. The giant Mega was slowed slightly, but it was not deterred. Beelzemon managed to jump out of the way of the attack, but the shockwave when the weapon hit the ground sent him flying many feet in the air.

_That was a close one,_ Tsucasa thought.

"Cut it a little close there, huh?" Bukamon commented, unknowingly voicing his partner's thoughts. The human merely nodded slightly in response.

As the cloud in the sand cleared away, Beelzemon stood, dusting himself off. "Now ya've pissed me off," he warned his furry attacker. "Darkness Claw!" The Demon Lord lunged forward, striking the other Mega right in the chest. It stumbled back a few feet, having been hit so hard that it was knocked off its feet. While it was dazed, Beelzemon walked over and stood on its chest. He drew one of the Berenjena and stuck it right in Vikemon's face. "It's been fun," he sneered. "Double Impact!"

Tsucasa was still staring when the beach scene faded away to reveal the classroom again. The door leading from the classroom to the observation room opened, and the Demon Lord of Gluttony stepped inside.

"What're you doin' in here?" he asked.

"W-We… we wanted to train in here, but…" Tsucasa started, but trailed off, unable to gather the courage to speak to a Digimon who he had just seen mercilessly kill three others, even if they were just simulations. Beelzemon had had a little too much fun with that for Tsucasa to feel comfortable.

"You got here and decided to hog it!" Bukamon complained.

"Would ya rather I take it out on _you_?" he asked. Bukamon appeared to think for a moment.

"We're fine, thank you… Take the room all you want."

"Coward," Beelzemon muttered with a laugh. "Alright, you kids wanna train? Go ahead, I ain't gonna stop ya." He walked over to the control panel. "Level Three alright with you?"

Tsucasa nodded after a short pause. The Mega started messing with the controls, changing the level and setting. "Get in there," he said, pointing to the door. The boy and his In-Training Demon Lord partner complied.

As soon as the door closed behind them, the scene turned into a plateau. A single Digimon stood about ten meters away from them.

"Armadillomon, Rookie Level," Tsucasa read in his usual quiet tone. "Attack: Diamond Shell."

"Shouldn't be too bad," Bukamon said with a smirk. "Bring it on!"

"Diamond Shell!" the Armadillomon yelled, curling up into a ball and rushing at them both. Tsucasa jumped out of the way, pulling Bukamon with him.

"Bubble Blow!" Bukamon retaliated from his partner's shoulder. The attacks hit the Rookie, but due to its hard shell, it didn't take much damage.

"Digital Ability. Birdramon's Meteor Wing: Connect!" Tsucasa just hoped the little In-Training could handle the Champion's attack.

Bukamon jumped into the air from the boy's shoulder and folded both flippers. "Meteor Wing!" he yelled, and twin fireballs appeared, growing rapidly until they were about twice Bukamon's size each. They flew at Armadillomon, each a direct hit. Bukamon dropped to the ground, obviously exhausted. A Champion's attack was supposed to be too strong for just an In-Training level Digimon, so Tsucasa, as well as Beelzemon in the observation room, were surprised that the little guy was able to even pull it off. But now, it looked like the move might cost him.

Armadillomon had been thrown back many feet by the fireballs. Had they been from a Champion, as they were originally, it quite possibly would have been destroyed immediately. As it was, the attack's strength was greatly diminished, so while it damaged the Rookie, it didn't destroy it.

"Diamond Shell!" it yelled as soon as it recovered, charging straight at Bukamon, who didn't have the strength to escape.

"Bukamon!" Tsucasa yelled, concerned for his partner. The little grey Digimon wasn't moving. "I'm sorry…" he whispered. "Maybe we should have gone with Level Two… and now I might lose you…"

"You… can't get rid of me that easily…" the boy heard a voice say. He looked up to see Bukamon's form glowing and changing. As soon as the glow subsided, a green Digimon that looked like a mix between a reptile and a fish stood in his place.

"Betamon, Rookie Level," the black haired boy read. "Attacks: Electric Shock and Water Tower." He smiled. "I knew we could do it…" he whispered.

"Uh-huh, definitely sounded like it a minute ago," the newly Digivolved Rookie replied, rolling his eyes. "Electric Shock!" he yelled, and electricity visibly gathered around his orange dorsal fin. The force kept growing until if fired at Armadillomon. The Rookie was thrown backwards again, but stood up again defiantly.

"Diamond Shell!" he yelled, once again charging. But this time, his target was Tsucasa.

"Water Tower!" Betamon yelled, and thick spirals of water shot up from the ground right in front of Tsucasa, protecting the human from assault. When Armadillomon hit the water wall, it bounced off, right in Betamon's path. "Electric Shock!" he attacked again. This final attack managed to destroy his opponent.

"We did it!" Tsucasa said with a smile as he walked over to his partner. The plateau faded back into a classroom.

"Not bad," Beelzemon commented, leaving the observation room. "But it ain't always gonna be that easy. Remember that."

Tsucasa nodded, and he and Betamon began to leave. The human, however, stopped in the doorway. He turned back to Beelzemon. "What level were you on?" he asked curiously. While it was true that the boy was very shy, he had grown somewhat accustomed to the Digimon, considering that he was the partner of one of Tsucasa's teachers. And he was curious. Level three was a little difficult for an In-Training, but it wasn't too bad for a Rookie. So, doing the math, Tsucasa would have guessed that the Demon Lord was on eight or so.

"That was Level Ten," he told the boy with a smirk, who stared at him, dumbfounded.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Well, we've got a pretty interesting team," Tanya commented to Devimon that night, lying in her room. She should be trying to sleep, but she had too many things on her mind at the moment. "I mean, there's Onogi and Higurashi, who I'm pretty sure will never be able to work together, Simorna, who barely ever talks to people, and now that creepy new kid, Azumimaya…" she shook her head. "You and I are the only _normal_ ones here."

Devimon laughed, lying in his own bed. These would be interesting times to come. He and the other Demon Lords never would have imagined themselves working together with humans, yet here they all were. Even Beelzemon, who always preferred to fight alone. Looking at him now, one would never guess how he used to be. Being partnered with Chiharu for many years had certainly mellowed him out. As was shown during their last battle together, it was obvious that he still had a temper, though it wasn't nearly as bad nowadays. "And then there's the question of if we'll ever be able to work together," the Champion added.

"Yeah, there's that, too," Tanya agreed. "Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Mikage sat alone at breakfast the next morning, with no one at his side other than YukimiBotamon.

"If you keep acting like this, you're not going to have any friends," she told him in a huff.

"Mikage doesn't need friends," the boy replied. "Friends will just slow him down."

The small white marshmallow sighed. There was no getting through to this kid. "What about me? Are we friends?"

Mikage paused. Was she? He knew that she was destined to be his partner, and thus there was supposedly a bond that was growing between them. But could that be called friendship as well? The human didn't know. Thus, he answered the only way he could think to: with silence.

YukimiBotamon frowned. She wanted to think that they were becoming friends, but evidently, Mikage didn't feel the same.

Meanwhile, Karuto sat with the friends that he had made, Elijah and Michael. They were in the same morning classes, so they had come to be decent friends.

"So, what's Azumimaya's deal?" Michael asked casually. The three boys had their morning classes with him, so both Tamers knew what he was like.

"I'm not sure," Karuto replied. "He's just… creepy."

"I feel bad for YukimiBotamon, being stuck with that kid," Veemon commented.

"Shouldn't their bond start forming already?" Wormmon asked.

"I would think so," Sangloupmon said. "But you never know…" He shrugged. "It's not _our_ problem, anyway."

"I thought it would be," Elijah started. "You know, since you're all supposed to be a team and everything."

"He already told us he's not going to fight with us," Karuto muttered, sending a harsh glare the boy's way. It went unnoticed by it's intended target.

"Maybe one of you guys should go talk to him first?" Michael suggested. "You know, show him that you want him here?"

"You think we haven't tried?" the Digi-Destined asked.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"_Hey, Azumimaya," Karuto said, walking over to the newest member of the team, Sangloupmon in tow._

"_Leave Mikage alone, Onobi," the strange student replied. "Mikage has no interest in whatever you have to say. He needs to do his homework, and you're disturbing him."_

"_Okay, one, it's _Onogi._ And two, look," Karuto argued. "You're a member of this team whether you like it or not. So start acting like it and at least _try_ to be nice."_

"_Like you are?" Mikage asked, not looking up from his homework. "Yelling at someone is definitely a good way to get them to join you."_

"_He _does_ have a point," Sangloupmon reluctantly pointed out. He may not like this kid any more than his partner did, but he knew what they'd be up against. He knew how difficult this battle would be, and he knew that they would need everyone to work as a team just to survive, much less actually _defeat_ Millenniummon._

"_Do not disturb Mikage again," the boy in question said tersely before grabbing his books and heading for the stairs._

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Somehow, I don't think you were doing it right," Veemon commented.

"Oh, I wasn't the only one who tried…"

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

_Rei knocked on Mikage's locked door. It had been three hours since Karuto's attempt, and she had hoped that Mikage would have calmed down by now._

"_Mikage said that he wanted to be left alone, Onobi," Mikage's voice said through the closed door._

Onobi?_ She thought. _He must mean Onogi…_ "Actually, it's Rei," she informed the boy. "I'm sorry that Onogi was rude earlier. But we want you here, on our team. Please work with us," she pleaded. Onogi had created a mess, and she felt obligated to fix it, as Tsucasa was too shy to talk to anyone and Tanya wanted to stay out of these sorts of conflicts._

"_You will all just slow Mikage down," he replied, repeated his words from his first day._

"_What if we didn't?" she asked. "We're all at a higher level. We can all help you get stronger."_

_There was a pause that only lasted a second, but it was just long enough for Rei to catch it. "Mikage prefers to work alone."_

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Okay, that was a little harsh," Veemon admitted.

"I wonder why he's got such issues…" Michael pondered, but all were drawn from their thoughts when the ground began to shake. "Looks like another Gate's opened up."

"Time for us to go," Elijah said, standing. "We'll see you later, alright?"

"Yeah, see you," Karuto told him, and with that, the Tamers left with most of the class. Mikage passed by Karuto on his way out, only to have his arm grabbed. "Where are you going?"

"The dorms," the boy answered plainly. "That's where everyone's supposed to go during an attack." Karuto really didn't like this kid's tone. He was treating Karuto like a child, when technically, he was Mikage's senior Digi-Destined.

"That's where the Tamers go," Karuto told him. "_We_ go take care of whatever got through."

"Mikage thinks he's hardly able to do battle at the moment," the older boy replied, referring to how his partner was still at Fresh Level.

"Then you come and watch to see what you're supposed to do when you get strong enough!" Karuto growled, getting fed up with Mikage.

"Mikage doesn't have to listen to you," he replied stubbornly, breaking free of the younger boy's grip and walking away.

"That little shit…" Sangloupmon muttered.

"I can try to get him…" Tsucasa said quietly. It made sense. Both Karuto and Rei had pissed Mikage off, so he wasn't likely to listen to them. But maybe, just _maybe_ he could get through to the idiot.

"Alright, go ahead," Karuto told him. "But be careful."

Tsucasa nodded before entering the fray of escaping students.

"Where's Simorna going?" Rei asked, walking over. The remaining Digi-Destined and their partners were currently the only ones left in the room.

"Getting Azumimaya," Sangloupmon reported. "That moron decided to go and leave."

"Doesn't he know we're supposed to take care of this?" Tanya asked.

"Oh, he does," Karuto told them. "He just doesn't care."

"Oh, yeah, this is going to be a fun adventure," Rei muttered to Porcupamon. The Champion nodded slightly before yawing. "Just stay awake long for this, alright?" Another nod. Another yawn. She laughed.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Azumimaya!" Tsucasa called, looking for the boy and his small partner. "Azumimaya!"

"Over there!" Betamon yelled, looking in the direction of the other boy. Tsucasa looked over to see Mikage pinned to the wall. Too many people were rushing past him, and he wasn't given the chance to break through, leaving him stuck where he was.

"Emerald Blaze!" they all heard. The Tamers scattered in various direction as a green fire flew their way. Tsucasa ran over to Mikage in hopes of getting him out and then getting the others.

"Cerberusmon, Ultimate Level. Attacks: Emerald Blaze and Portals of Darkness," Mikage read from his D-Agent boredly.

"That's nice, now let's get out of here!" Betamon yelled.

"Emerald Blaze!" Both boys turned to see themselves now surrounded by a ring of green fire. "Two Digi-Destined…" Cerberusmon mused. "And their tiny little Demon Lord partners. They weren't lying when they said you were on your way back." It laughed. "How pathetic you are, at such weak levels." It smirked. "The Master will be pleased when I report of your destruction."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

A blue haired boy ran back into the room, flanked by a Centarumon.

"Jun! What are you doing in here?" Rei asked as the boy ran up to her.

"There's a Cerberusmon a few halls down, and he was headed this way the last time I checked," he reported. "I thought you should know."

"Thanks," the brunette replied. "We'll take it from here. Get back to your dorm, alright?"

"You got it," he said with a nod, and he and Centarumon exited the room.

"At least we know what and where it is," Devimon commented. "Now, let's go kick its ass!" And with that, the group ran out of the room and down the hall Jun had mentioned. They stopped short when they saw the green inferno.

"Guys, we got a problem!" Rei yelled unnecessarily.

"No, shit!" Karuto yelled back. Tsucasa and Mikage, along with their partners, were trapped in a ring of green fire, and Cerberusmon was circling them.

"We've got to save them," Tanya said. "Digital Enhancement. Speed: Connect!"

Devimon began to move much quicker, suddenly behind the Ultimate. "Death Hand!" At point blank range, the attack was quite damaging, but not enough to stop the opponent.

"Slash and Rip!" Porcupamon yelled, getting in behind the Cerberusmon.

"Sticker Blade!" Sangloupmon called out, firing from afar.

"Electric Shock!" Betamon yelled, but the shock didn't get very far through the fire.

"Save your energy," Tsucasa said quietly.

Mikage stared at the scene before him. Fire surrounded him, and he had no means of escape. And these other students were risking their lives to save him and the other boy. Why? Why would they do something like this?

"Emerald Blaze!" Cerberusmon attacked, making the flames larger, making it impossible to get in close to the Ultimate. Evidently, it was immune to its own fire, making this a very difficult battle.

"GigaSeadramon's Giga Sea Destroyer!" they heard from behind them. They all turned just in time to see a giant gush of water shoot at the flames and Cerberusmon. When the mist created from the meeting of fire and water cleared, Beelzemon stood there, looking quite miffed. "Now, I _know_ ya ain't attacking _my_ students," he said.

"B-Beelzemon…" the large dog Digimon said. It hadn't realized that the cavalry would be coming.

"He's not the only one," a male voice said from the other side. "Grand Cross!" The attack forced Cerberusmon to the ground.

"I'm not the only one…" it said weakly. "There will be others. And they will be far stronger than me."

"Would one of you like to do the honors?" Chiharu asked.

"Electric Shock!" they heard before anyone else could react. A surprisingly strong blast of electricity shot from the direction of the two previously trapped boys, and once it hit Cerberusmon, it was destroyed instantly.

Externally, Mikage remained stoic. On the inside, however, he was fuming. These people had defeated this Digimon so easily, and he was still stuck at such a beginner level. It angered him. He had to get stronger soon. He had to show his father that _this_ was where he belonged.

**Next time:  
>Mr. Azumimaya: I will not stand for this! He should be at home, studying, not at some school with stupid creatures.<br>Beelzemon: Call us stupid one more time, I dare ya.  
>Chiharu: We can't just let him go. He was brought here, and now he belongs here, as a Digi-Destined, and there's nothing you can do to take him back.<br>Mikage: Mikage doesn't want to go back.  
>Mr. Azumimaya: Don't make me call a lawyer.<br>Headmaster: There's no need. Come, let me explain something to you.  
>Rei: We've got another Gate, here!<strong>

**So… yeah. Sorry that last battle was kinda rushed, I had to hurry up with finishing this. A few things: Yeah…. Mikage's still a douche. And he will remain a douche for quite a while. Which leads to my other note: his brief hesitation when Rei was talking to him was **_**not**_** him considering being their friend. He's not nearly at that point yet. That was him weighing his options on whether or not he should use them to get stronger or not, but then decided against it. He thinks he'll surpass them quickly, and that they would only slow down his progress. And every time I wrote people talking to or about him… He pisses people off so much it took a lot to keep myself from dropping the F-bomb everywhere.**

**Anyway, please review, and I'll see you next week~**


	8. Sounds Like A Lawsuit

**Okay, so someone said that they were a little confused as to who the main protagonist is. Well, it's still Chiharu overall, but with the new set of Digi-Destined that has arrived, we have new characters that need to be properly introduced and explained. To further their character development, each will, on occasion, get an episode centered around them. For example, the main protagonist of Tamers was Takato. But we also had episodes like It Came From the Other Side, The Icemon Cometh, and Beelzemon's Big Day. And just like in season 1, the limited third person changes to show all sides of the story, while still keeping a personal feel to it. Anyway, you know the drill on the disclaimer.**

_**Karuto: **__"The other day, we got attacked by a Cerberusmon during breakfast. It wasn't too big of a problem, since Miura-sensei, Midorikawa-sensei, Beelzemon, and Lucemon came to the rescue, but Azumimaya just ran off on us and put himself in danger. None of us can stand working with him, because he's such an annoying, aggravating guy! He never listens to any of us, and refuses to work with us as a team! I just hope things will get better with time, because if not… We're kind of screwed…"_

* * *

><p>"Diamond Dust!" YukimiBotamon yelled, firing her attack at a computer generated Motimon. They were fighting at Level One, since the small Digimon was still stuck at Fresh Level, and Mikage wasn't too fond of the thought at all. He wanted to be stronger than the rest of them, and stronger he would be.<p>

"Bubble Blow!" the In-Training Digimon retaliated. It was not lost on the boy, nor the other students watching from the observation room, that so many In-Training Digimon had the move 'Bubble Blow'.

YukimiBotamon dodged the attack, desperate to Digivolve. Despite everything the boy did or said, she still like him, and she wanted him to accept her friendship. But it seemed like the only way to do that was to get stronger. So stronger she would get.

Mikage watched as his partner battled. She wasn't losing, but she wasn't making any headway, either. And he knew that the day was approaching where his father would step in and try to take him from the Academy. Despite the annoying people who surrounded him, he _liked_ it here. Digimon Academy gave him a challenge. He technically had twice the classes, meaning twice the work, not to mention his personal training sessions like the one now… But when it came to academics, he liked a challenge. It kept things from getting boring. "Digital Enhancement," he said. "Speed: Connect!"

YukimiBotamon smiled as she received help from her partner. She'd been concerned for a while that she'd have to go completely alone on this, which was something she wasn't really looking forward to. But now, at least, Mikage had her back, giving her the exact advantage she needed.

"Bubble Blow!" Motimon attacked her again, but as soon as the attack was about to hit, she moved. The next thing the program knew, she was directly behind it, almost touching it.

"Diamond Dust!" she yelled, and at such a point blank range, her attack destroyed her opponent. Before the setting faded away into the classroom, she began to glow. When the glow subsided, another Digimon stood in her place. This one was yellow, with two pointed ears, a long tail with purple stripes, and big brown eyes.

"Nyaromon," Mikage read boredly. "In-Training Level. Attacks: Tail Whip and Galactica Magnum Tail." _We could do better_.

The small, In-Training Digimon turned to look at her partner. She'd hoped to see him at least a little excited, but he simply gave her this look like she wasn't enough. Her ears went back, but she said nothing. She would just have to do better next time to earn his respect and friendship.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"It's been said before, but I'll say it again: I feel bad for Nyaromon," Rei commented. She, the rest of the Digi-Destined, and their Demon Lord partners were in the observation room, watching the boy and his partner. And, from what they could see, despite the fact that she Digivolved, Nyaromon still wasn't enough for Mikage.

"They'll get it eventually, I think," Tanya commented.

"What do you mean?" Betamon asked.

"Think about it," the purple-haired girl said. "Beelzemon started out totally _hating_ Miura-sensei, and look at them now. Even by the end of the final battle, they were close. So I think Azumimaya will come to like his partner eventually."

"Yeah, but will it be soon enough?" Devimon asked.

"Why do you have to ask questions like that?" Karuto asked. "You're such a mood-killer."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Chiharu leaned back in her chair at her desk and sighed. The Headmaster had told her to write weekly reports on the progress of the new Digi-Destined. She was impressed with most of them, at how hard they worked to strengthen the bond between them and their partners. But Mikage Azumimaya… it seemed like no matter what, he refused to befriend Nyaromon, or any of his fellow students. He was rude and insensitive, and he always seemed to have his own agenda. He listened well enough in class, but during the after class training sessions that the students had actually organized themselves, he never participated. Instead, he went in on his own. This was not boding well for the future.

"Still thinkin' about the problem with Azumimaya, huh?" Beelzemon asked from his usual spot against the wall a few feet away. The brunette woman nodded.

"I spoke with his grandmother on the phone yesterday afternoon," she informed him.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"_Hello, is this Ms. Azumimaya, Mikage's grandmother?" Chiharu asked._

"_Yes," the old woman responded from the other line. "Who is this?"_

"_I'm Chiharu Miura, the teacher from Digimon Academy that you met. I have a few… concerns… about your grandson."_

"_Is he behaving?" the grandmother asked._

"_Kind of," the teacher responded. "He pays attention in class, but he refuses to work as a team with the other Digi-Destined. I was wondering if you could provide some kind of insight as to why?"_

"_His father is a bit of a perfectionist. For a long time, Mikage grew up believing that friends would get in his way, and was spent all of his times on academics. It seems like, even away from his father, that hasn't been able to change yet." The old woman sighed. "I didn't tell my son where I was bringing Mikage, and I'm afraid he's close to figuring out the truth."_

"_Will he come for Azumimaya?" Chiharu asked, almost dreading the answer._

"_Most likely," Mikage's grandmother replied. "But don't give him up without a fight."_

"_Of course not," the old Digi-Destined told her. "I promise."_

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"So ya think the kid's dad is gonna come and try ta take him soon?" Beelzemon asked.

"Yeah," Chiharu replied, rubbing her temples. Training these kids so that they came back alive was stressful enough. Now she had to deal with the fact that one of the kids' would potentially be taken away from them. Granted, he was a horrible team player, but they could work on that.

"Ya really think the Headmaster's just gonna let him go without a fight?" Beelzemon pointed out.

"Well, no, but—"

"But nothin'," the Demon Lord replied. "It'll be fine, alright?"

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

A man stood outside the large building that was Digimon Academy. He was furious. Furious with his mother, with his son, and most importantly, this establishment. It was more than likely distracting his son from his study. This _game_ had to stop. It was for his son's own good.

He entered the building, ready to raise some hell, if necessary.

"Can I help you?" the woman at the desk asked.

"Give me my son back," he demanded.

"Um, what is your son's name?" the woman asked, a bit confused.

"Mikage Azumimaya," he answered.

The receptionist paused. "I'm sorry, Sir, but I'm afraid I can't do that."

"What are you talking about?" the man asked. "Give me my son!"

The woman looked at him calmly before picking up her D-Control and pressing a button. "Yes, Chiharu? We have a bit of a situation. Could you bring Azumimaya to the front hall?" She paused, and the man heard a muffled response from the other end. "They'll be out in a minute, but I can promise you that will not win this, not without a fight."

"I doubt that," he said confidently. After all, he always got his way. If necessary, he had easy access to the best lawyers in the area.

A few minutes later, Chiharu arrived with Mikage, Beelzemon, as usual, flanking his partner. "What seems to be the problem?" she asked.

"Mr. Azumimaya wants his son back," Hotaru replied.

Chiharu sighed before turning to the man. She knew this was going to be happening soon, but she hadn't expected that it would be _this_ soon. "I'm afraid we can't do that," she informed him. "Azumimaya is a vital student of this Academy, and we cannot simply let him go."

"I will not stand for this!" the man argued. "He should be at home, studying, not at some school with stupid creatures!"

Beelzemon officially looked pissed. "Call us stupid one more time, I dare ya." He cracked his knuckles, and it took every ounce of self-control not to draw the Berenjena on this guy. But Chiharu gave him a glare, and that was enough to keep him under control. He want _not_ going to be the reason his partner got upset, not after she had finally started genuinely smiling for the first time in ten years.

"We can't just let him go," the brunette began to explain. "He was brought here, and now he belongs here, as a Digi-Destined, and there's nothing you can do to take him back." Had this man forgotten what had happened all those years ago? Did he not realize that his son was _vital_ in all of this? She looked behind her to see that Hotaru had called some of the other teachers. Approaching them were Nakayama, Dianamon, Shimizu, Renamon, Ikeda, and Apollomon.

"Mikage doesn't want to go back," the boy said defiantly, using his puppet even when talking to his father. He liked it at Digimon Academy. He wasn't going to leave just yet, and for once, he was thankful for his teachers. They weren't going to just let him go. He almost smiled.

"Don't make me call a lawyer," Mr. Azumimaya threatened.

At that moment the Headmaster exited his office, with Dynasmon right behind him. He must have been informed of the situation, as well. "There's no need," he said calmly. "Come, let me explain something to you." He motioned for the man to follow him into his office. Mr. Azumimaya was about to protest, but when he saw the expectant faces on all of the teachers and their partners, he rethought his actions. Following this man definitely seemed like the best option.

"Well, hopefully that will be taken care of," Dianamon commented.

"I hope so," Nakayama agreed.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Why can't I take my son home?" Mr. Azumimaya demanded again.

"Do you remember the incident ten years ago, when Digital Gates opened up all around the world?" the old man asked.

"Yes, what does that have to do with anything?" Mikage's father asked.

"A situation very similar to that is beginning to arise. In the past, six students were chosen as the Digi-Destined to save both this world and the Digital World. Now, your son has fallen into that role. We cannot allow you to take him from his destiny," the Headmaster explained. "And if it's his academics you're worried about, I can assure you that he is being just as challenged as he was at his old school."

Mr. Azumimaya paused. But how could he be sure? How could he know that his son really _was_ concentrating on his studies instead of this little game? He would just have to keep an eye on this. He'd check on Mikage's grades every so often, and if they slipped... He'd pull his son out, destiny or no.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Rei ran over just as the Headmaster was finished with Mr. Azumimaya, and both men were exiting the office.

"We've got another Gate, here!" she yelled. Almost as though it had been waiting for her announcement, the ground began to shake.

"Do you know what came through?" Ikeda asked.

"Flymon," the girl answered. "When I left, there were six of them, but they just kept coming. I don't know how many there are now."

"Thank you for letting us know," Shimizu said. "Since they're just Champions, I assume you, Onogi, and Serata can take care of some of them on your own?"

"On it!" the first of the new Digi-Destined replied, running back in the direction she'd come. After all, she and the others had split up into groups of two, leaving her with Tsucasa. When she went to alert the teachers, she'd left Porcupamon with the boy to protect him, since his partner was still only at Rookie Level. She wasn't sure if he'd be able to handle himself, so she'd made Porcupamon stay as a precaution. And if _she_ got attacked on her way there… She was a fast runner, so she'd be able to get herself out of danger pretty easily.

"What's going on?" Mr. Azumimaya demanded.

"Exactly what your son's going to be helping stop," Renamon informed him. "All of these Gates opening signify that an ancient enemy, Millenniummon, is about to return. Mikage's job, along with that of the other Digi-Destined, is to stop Millenniummon. I'm sure this has been explained to you," she added with a raised brow. "Taking him from this school is like signing the death warrant of all human _and_ Digimon life. Now do you understand?"

Before the man could respond, however, an unidentified voice yelled, "Brown Stingers!" And almost immediately after the words were uttered, a large stinger landed in the center of them. Everyone present turned to look at the attacker. A large, insect-like Digimon that closely resembled a bee flew in, clearly angry.

"Flymon," Mikage read from his D-Agent. "Champion Level. Attack: Brown Stinger." A Champion vs. and In-Training. There was no way he and Nyaromon were going to win this match, meaning that, as much as he hated the idea, he'd have to leave this to the teachers.

"Chiharu, you go make sure the other students are safe," Nakayama advised. "Ikeda, Shimizu, you too." All three women nodded and left in different direction, their partners close behind. "What do you want with this school?" he asked. "What is your goal here? What do you have to gain?"

"The Master wants this school gone," Flymon told him. "And so we will destroy it."

"Not on our watch!" Dianamon yelled. "Arrow of Artemis!" The attack hit the mark on Flymon, making it cry out in pain before disappearing. Normally, a one-hit kill like that was very difficult, but Dianamon had good aim, and she had pierced its body, hitting its Digi-Core. And, as everyone knew, once a Digimon's Digi-Core was destroyed, they would be destroyed instantly.

"Are you okay?" Nakayama asked the boy, his partner, and his father. All three nodded, and Mr. Azumimaya looked a little shaken. _This_ was what he was allowing his son to do? Perhaps he _would_ have to pull Mikage from Digimon Academy, if even just for his own safety.

Mikage glanced down at Nyaromon. She looked both scared and angry, and he could guess the reasons for both. She was scared because it would be easy enough to turn her back into an Egg in this situation. And she was angry because she wasn't able to join in on the fight. He glanced at the door. He'd have to get back to the dorm. Despite what Karuto had told him during that last attack, watching a fight was just as dangerous as participating in it. He and Tsucasa had been trapped by that Cerberusmon, even though Mikage had been trying to avoid it.

He broke into a run, headed out the door and to the dorms. It was his and Nyaromon's only chance. However, he had a pursuer.

"Brown Stinger!" he heard from behind him. He dodged off to the side, but he lost his grip of Nyaromon while doing so. He stopped and looked at her, and a brief feeling of fear flickered through him. Was he… worried about her? But she was just a tool to his rise to be the best… right?

Nyaromon shook herself from the fall and pushed the fear away. She was a Demon Lord, for crying out loud! If she was going down, she was going down fighting. The Flymon flew down and grabbed her, and she acted without a second thought. "Galactica Magnum Tail!" she yelled, attacking and forcing the Flymon to drop her. She expected to hit the ground, so she was surprised to feel herself land in a pair of arms. She was shifted so that only one was holding her, and the other held up an already familiar frog puppet.

"Are you alright?" Mikage asked her, earning a nod.

"I'm fine," she said with a small smile. "Now come on. We have to get back to the dorm."

"Right."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Death Hand!"

"Sticker Blade!"

Both Champion Level Demon Lords were surrounded by four Flymon, but this was nothing they couldn't handle. They'd faced worse.

"Brown Stinger!" two of the Flymon yelled, aiming at Tanya and Karuto. Devimon, thinking fast, flew as fast as he could, which was quite fast since his partner had used the Speed card mere moments ago, and grabbed both students, pulling them out of the way just in time.

"Thanks, Devimon," Tanya told the Demon Lord of Wrath.

"Yeah, thanks," Karuto agreed.

"No problem," Devimon said. "Now, let's waste these guys!"

"For once, I'm in agreement with you there," Sangloupmon commented. "Sticker Blade!"

"Death Hand!"

"Dragon Wheel!" they heard, followed by a spinning blue inferno, which bounced off of one Flymon and hit another. The inferno stopped spinning and landed, revealing a many-tailed yellow fox Digimon.

"Kyubimon, Champion Level," Tanya read. "Attacks: Dragon Wheel and Fox Tail Inferno."

"Think she's on our side?" Karuto asked.

"She is," a familiar female voice said, coming in the same direction that Kyubimon had arrived. The voice belonged to one of their teachers, Shimizu, meaning that Kyubimon must be Renamon's Champion form. "We thought you could use a little help."

"Thanks, Shimizu-sensei!" Tanya said gratefully. "We really appreciate it!"

"Fox Tail Inferno!" Kyubimon yelled, and each tail produced a small blue fireball, and each was hurled at one of the Flymon. In fact, it was the first one she'd hit, so this final attack destroyed it.

"Whoa," Karuto and Tanya muttered quietly. They knew that Chiharu and Mayu were strong with their partners, because they were each partnered with a Demon Lord, along with being the original Digi-Destined. They were not, however, aware of how strong the rest of their teachers were.

"Touch of Evil!" Devimon called, reaching toward a Flymon that had its back turned to them. His hand went through the other Champion's head, and glowed a dark purple. The glow spread to the entire body of the Flymon and its moves became sluggish. As soon as Devimon removed his hand, it regained its normal movement, but the purple glow didn't disappear.

"Brown Stinger!" it yelled, but instead of aiming for the children, the teacher, or their partners, it aimed at one of its fellow Flymon.

"What the hell…?" Karuto muttered. He looked at Sangloupmon for an explanation.

"Devimon's Touch of Evil actually allows him to control another Digimon, as long as it's weaker than he is," the Demon Lord of Greed explained.

"Okay, that's actually kinda cool," the boy commented.

"Brown Stinger!" the Flymon under Devimon's control yelled again, attacking the same Flymon it had targeted before.

"Why don't we give it a hand, Sangloupmon?" Karuto suggested.

"Good idea," Sangloupmon said with a grin. This would get him even more power, even though it _did_ involve helping others out. And that was what mattered. "Sticker Blade!" And with that final attack, it was destroyed. Now, there were only two Flymon left, including the one Devimon had power over.

"Dragon Wheel!" Kyubimon yelled, spinning into a blaze of blue fire, heading straight for the Flymon that was still their enemy. As soon as she was out of the way, Devimon picked his moment to attack.

"Death Hand!" he yelled, hitting the Flymon with an unholy sphere of energy.

"Brown Stinger!" their temporary ally added, firing its own attack. Ironically, that was the move that finished it off.

"So, Devimon," Tanya started. "How long does this Touch of Evil thing last?"

"Until right about… now." And at that precise moment, the glow around Flymon faded and it turned to the students, enraged that it had been controlled and forced to destroy its own allies.

"Fox Tail Inferno!"

"Sticker Blade!"

"Death Hand!"

The three attacks hit one after another, resulting in the destruction of the Champion.

"I wonder how the others are doing…" Karuto muttered.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Slash and Rip!" Porcupamon yelled. Rei had left him to guard Tsucasa and Betamon while she went to inform the teachers that a Gate had opened. However, at the moment, he was in a two-against-one situation, and they were on either side, so it wasn't like he could just send the kid off in a direction to safety. He was too tired for this… Then again, he was _always_ too tired for anything.

"Water Tower!" Betamon yelled, putting up a wall of water between them and the Flymon behind them. For the moment, Porcupamon now only had one opponent to deal with, but that really depended on how long the Rookie could keep that wall up. Though it was nice that Betamon was helping.

"Slash and Rip!" the Champion yelled again, heading for the only opponent he currently had access to.

"Brown Stinger!" Flymon attacked, just barely missing the Demon Lord of Sloth. He really wished that Rei was back so that she could help him with the Speed card.

Almost as though someone had heard his thoughts, he heard a familiar female voice yell, "Digital Enhancement. Speed Connect!" He dashed out of the way as yet another stinger headed his way.

"Electric Shock!" Betamon yelled, though the change in concentration caused the water wall he'd created to weaken. This allowed the other Flymon to break through.

"Oh, no…" Tsucasa whispered.

"Grand Cross!" everyone heard, and they turned to see a large cross shaped light hit the Flymon that Porcupamon had been targeting. As the light faded and the Flymon was destroyed, they saw Lucemon and Mayu standing nearby.

"Need some help, kids?" Mayu asked with a helpful smile.

"Thanks, Midorikawa-sensei," Rei said with a smile in return. She could tell that Porcupamon was tired, so he might not be able to hold his own against this opponent, even though there was only one. And Betamon still couldn't Digivolve to Champion Level. In fact, if Mayu _hadn't_ shown up, they could have quickly been in serious trouble.

"Grand Cross!" Lucemon repeated, attacking the other Flymon.

"Electric Shock!"

"Slash and Rip!"

As it turned out, the Flymon must have been throwing itself at the wall of water, wearing it out, so these three simple attacks were enough to destroy it.

"Now, let's get back to the front hall. We have a situation we need to take care of."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Mikage dreaded returning to the front hall, though he'd been summoned by the teachers, so he had to do so. Were they going to let his father take him away, since he was so useless in that last battle, and the one before that? He didn't find it unlikely…

He arrived to see his father, the majority of the staff, and the rest of the Digi-Destined waiting for him. Now he _knew_ he was in trouble…

"I demand that you let him come with me this instant!" his father yelled. "It's too dangerous here for him!"

"Sir, we can't let you do that," Chiharu said. "I already told you."

"Mikage, come with me," Mr. Azumimaya ordered, ignoring the woman.

The boy dipped his head and set Nyaromon on Hotaru's desk. He really didn't want to leave, but his father wasn't going to let up.

As he passed the Digi-Destined, though, he felt a hand on his shoulder, causing him to stop. He looked behind him to see Rei with a very determined expression.

"With all due respect, Mr. Azumimaya, he's staying here," she said boldly.

"Yeah," Karuto agreed. "He's one of us."

"We're a team," Tanya added. "You can't just split us up like that."

"We need him," Tsucasa said, surprising everyone at how bold he was capable of being when it came down to it.

"And if you get lawyers involved," Mayu started, "I think you'll quickly find that they'll side with us."

Mr. Azumimaya looked at them all for a long time before finally relenting. There was no way he was winning this one. "Fine," he said. He glanced back at his son. "You'd better become the best, do you understand me?" Mikage nodded in response, and with that, his father left.

Mikage walked back to Hotaru's desk and picked up Nyaromon again. She grinned, but it went unnoticed by the boy. He had been so rude to all of these people. _Why_ were they standing up for him? They'd been doing fine without him, he had to admit that. So why had they stuck up for him. What was in it for them?

**Next time:  
>?: Hello, again.<br>Chiharu: You…  
>Beelzemon: How the <strong>_**hell**_** are you still alive?! I killed you!  
>?: Think again, fool! I promised that I would get my revenge, and now I am.<br>Mayu: He's going after the kids!**

**So~ Can anyone guess who the mysterious character is that shows up next time~?**

**Anyway, I know that last scene was kinda cheesy, but c'mon, kids, it's Digimon. The occasional cheesy scene just comes with the territory. And think about it. As much of a dick as Mikage is, they still need him. He's a Digi-Destined, and the others genuinely want to try to be his friend. He's just not letting them. So, that last little scene touched him a little, but not nearly enough to change his character. He's not even close to that point yet.**

**So… I'll see you, same time next week~**


	9. Unfortunately Familiar Face

**So, there's been pretty much a group consensus among everyone: Mikage is a bastard. This is true, however, as you can see from last week's episode, he has his reasons. He **_**will**_** become a much more likeable character, just bear with me. It will just take a while, please be patient.**

_**Mikage: **__"Yesterday, I had to face something I was actually afraid of. My dad came to Digimon Academy to take me home. The teachers were ready to fight him for it, and then we got attacked by Flymon. I wasn't able to do much again, so I thought for sure that they were going to let me go, since I was so useless. But to my surprise, the other Digi-Destined stood up for me, making my dad let me stay. But why would they do that? I've been nothing but rude to them since I got here. What's their angle…?"_

* * *

><p><em>Chiharu stood in her classroom, teaching the D-Class students Digimon History. She was just about to begin the section on the final battle with Millenniummon when the lights went out.<em>

"_What's going on?" Rei asked, but she was met with no answer. And invisible force ripped each of the students from their seats and out the door. Chiharu reached her hand toward them, but she could do nothing._

"_Ten whole years, and you're still just as useless as ever," a familiar voice that Chiharu had hoped to never hear again said mockingly. "You couldn't save Antylamon, you couldn't save the Prairiemon, and you couldn't save poor, innocent Hideaki Kokawa." The owner of the voice stepped into view. A monkey-like Digimon stood before her._

"_No…" the brunette woman whispered, taking an involuntary step backward. "That's impossible… You're dead…"_

"_Think again," he said in his usual mocking tone. "Primal Orb!"_

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Chiharu gasped as she shot up in bed. "No…" she whispered, shoulders trembling.

"You okay?" Beelzemon asked, looking down at her. He had been, as usual, sleeping while leaning against the wall, but his partner's distress woke him up.

Chiharu shook her head. "No, I'm not…" she said softly, her voice shaking.

"Wanna talk about it?" the Demon Lord asked. He was becoming increasingly worried. Chiharu had finally stopped having the nightmares four years ago, though she still occasionally had an uncomfortable dream. But her reaction… This reminded him of the dreams just months after the incident.

The teacher placed her face in her hands. "_He_ was back…" She didn't have to elaborate who 'he' was. She'd had enough dreams of him haunting her to make it obvious. "He blamed me for everyone's death… And he's right…" She shook her head. "With the return of Millenniummon… What if this means something?"

"Everything's gonna be alright, okay?" Beelzemon said reassuringly. "Even _if _anything happens – which I don't think it will – we'll take care of it, alright?"

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

A figure stood in the darkness, standing before what appeared to be a giant crystal. The figure nodded as though it had just been spoken to. "Yes, of course, Master," the voice belonging to figure said. Silence followed. "Yes, I understand."

Two more indescernible figures stood hidden in the shadows. "You had better not fail," one said. "The Master still hasn't forgotten your past mistakes."

"I know," the first figure replied, annoyed. This new player in the game thought himself to be so high and mighty, but _he_ had been serving the Master for over ten years! And yet _he_ was being treated as this newcomer's servant. Well, he would show them. He would show them that he deserved more than this.

He would show them all.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Chiharu walked from the teacher's housing to the main building for classes, trying to banish the thought of her dream from her mind. But he was dead. She had to keep reminding herself of that. It was possibly the only thing that would keep her going through the day. He was dead, and even if he came back, it would be after being reborn as a Digi-Egg, meaning that he would have no memories of ever being a servant of Millenniummon. He wouldn't be a threat.

She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder, but when she turned, it was only Mayu.

"Jumpy, much? What's wrong?" she asked, sounding concerned.

"I'm fine," Chiharu lied, but the blonde had known her long enough to recognize when she was hiding the truth.

"Sure you are," Mayu responded, rolling her eyes. "No, really, what's up?"

"I don't want to talk about it," the brunette replied. Telling Beelzemon about it the previous night had been hard enough. She didn't want to have to mention it again.

Mayu looked to Beelzemon with a questioning look, as did Lucemon. As soon as Chiharu was out of earshot, the Demon Lord of Pride asked, "Did something happen last night?"

"She had a nightmare," Beelzemon answered. "You-know-who was back. And, just like every other time, he told her everything was her fault."

"I thought those had stopped," Lucemon commented. The nightmares had supposedly stopped years ago. She'd really only had two different ones, but they repeated every night. They just supposed that it was lucky that she didn't have the _other_ one. That one was so much worse.

"Will she be alright?" Mayu asked.

"Just give her time," the Demon Lord of Gluttony responded. "She'll be alright eventually."

"I hope so," the blonde teacher muttered. "For her sake..."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Is it just me, or is something up with Miura-sensei today?" Rei asked the others at her lunch table.

"She might be upset because the assembly of all of you means the return of Millenniummon is getting closer by the day," Centarumon suggested.

"He has a point," Tanya commented. "And we're not ready to take, or even any of its lackeys on."

"Come on," Devimon said, rolling his eyes. "We kick ass. We've been fine against the Digimon sent through the Gates."

"Those are just the grunts," Porcupamon pointed out. He'd been forced to wake up, so he might as well take part in the conversation. "Remember, it had the Devas on its side."

"The Devas are _dead_, remember?" Devimon said with a quirked brow.

"Didn't Miura-sensei say that Makuramon had been collecting the Eggs, though?" Jun asked.

"Yeah, but Makuramon died, too," Devimon argued.

"Then what happened to the Eggs?" Rei asked. "They had to have hatched eventually."

"But they won't have any memories of their past lives, meaning that they'll have no reason to be our enemies," Devimon growled, pissed that no one was on his side. He was trying to think positively for once. Why did everyone else have to be such a downer?

"We have to be prepared, just in case," Tanya pointed out, trying to calm her partner. "Maybe you're right. But wouldn't you rather be safe than sorry?"

"Whatever..." Devimon finally growled.

"Now that that's settled..." Jun started, trying to change the subject. "What are you guys working on in D-Class?"

"Well, we've been working on team training," Rei offered.

"She and Onogi can't stop arguing," Tanya commented. "Simorna is too shy to work with anyone, and Azumimaya is too arrogant."

"Sounds like you've got some troubles ahead," Centarumon said.

"Yeah," Porcupamon said. "Can't wait."

Meanwhile, at Karuto's table with Elijah and Michael, the three boys were on a very similar topic.

"Did you _see_ Miura-sensei today?" Veemon asked. Their class hadn't had gym that morning, but a few of them had seen her when she entered the school, and she looked like crap. She obviously hadn't slept well, and was even more depressed than they'd ever seen her. Even more depressed than Elijah and Michael remembered, on the anniversary of the final battle.

"Yeah, she looked horrible," Elijah agreed with his partner.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Michael mused.

"I hope so," Karuto commented. "I heard her, Midorikawa-sensei, Beelzemon, and Lucemon all talking about when me and the others go to the Digital World. I guess they're coming with us, and Miura-sensei's going to be our leader, like she was _their_ leader last time."

"She'd better be okay by then," Sangloupmon muttered. "I don't wanna have to follow a wuss."

"Sangloupmon!" his human partner hissed.

"What?" the Champion asked. "If she can't pull herself together enough to lead us, we're screwed!"

After a short pause, Wormmon spoke up. "He _does_ have a point," he commented reluctantly. "Without a good leader, a team just falls apart."

Karuto sighed. They were right. Hopefully, Chiharu would be better by the time they had to go. Though, from the looks of things, it would be a while before they were ready to go the Digital World. He looked over to see Mikage sitting alone again and sighed. Their biggest issue regarding teamwork would be getting through to him.

Nyaromon looked at her partner curiously. She was remembering when the boy's father had come to take him away from the Academy. Despite how he'd acted beforehand, he'd seemed genuinely sad to leave her. She'd noticed the hesitation he'd had before putting her down. And he'd caught her when she fell, placing himself in danger. He could have just kept running and left her there, but he didn't. He saved her.

And now, he wasn't as rude to her as he was before. He hadn't mentioned the incident again, but she could just tell that something was different. She smiled softly to herself. Things were looking up.

Mikage raised an eyebrow at his partner's behavior, but said nothing. She had been acting strangely lately, as though she was suddenly happier. And the strangest part... He found himself not minding. Under normal circumstances, he would find behavior like that annoying, but for some reason, it didn't bother him from Nyaromon. Odd...

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

They'd made sure to open a smaller Gate. With practice, they'd managed to create Gates that were small enough to produce no noise or tremors, allowing a silent and unnoticed entrance. It made infiltration easier, and provided the element of surprise. Yes.

He stepped through the Gate, watching the Academy. They'd made sure to open it closer to the forest, in the shadows where no one would notice. Evidently, it was the middle of the school day. The grounds were bare, allowing him easy, unnoticed access to the main building. He grinned maliciously. Oh, this would be good.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Chiharu stood in her classroom, looking at all of the students as they did their class work. She smiled softly at the effort they were putting in, but the smile was fake. She still had a bad feeling about her dream, and the nagging feeling refused to leave. Beelzemon glanced over at her, and she sent him another fake smile, but he knew better. She was far from okay.

All the students looked up as Chiharu's De-Agent started beeping.

"What is it?" the teacher asked, dreading the answer.

"There's some sort of problem in the front hall," Hotaru's voice told her.

"What _kind_ of problem?" the brunette asked nervously. What would happen that they needed to call _her _about it?

"Just... come see..."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Chiharu stared at the wall in front of her, clenching her fists. Written on the wall in large letters were the words: 'Pathetic leader'. She, along with the rest of the staff, knew that that message was directed at her. The real question was: who the _hell_ did this?

"When I get my hands on that little brat..." Beelzemon hissed angrily.

Mayu and Lucemon walked over to her. The blonde placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "We'll figure this out," she said. They both looked over as they heard Hotaru's D-Control beep.

"There's something creating a problem in the second floor east hallway," Nishimura informed her.

"What is it?" the receptionist asked.

"We're not sure," the science teacher replied. "Everyone reports a shadow moving down the hall, no one's been able to tell what it is."

"Oh, no," the brunette whispered. She had a _bad_ feeling about this.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"All students are to evacuate the building and return to your dorms," Hotaru's voice came over the announcements. "I repeat, all students are to evacuate the buildings and return to your dorms."

"Think that means us, too?" Rei asked, looking at the others.

"I dunno," Tanya replied with a shrug. "Maybe we should, just in case?"

"But, maybe this is something we're supposed to take care of," Karuto pointed out.

"No one here is strong enough to face something that requires and evacuation," Mikage commented boredly, surprising everyone that he decided to speak to them at all.

"I'm not going to run from a fight!" Devimon argued angrily.

"Neither am I," Betamon agreed, not wanting to be shown up.

"You can't do anything to help anyone," Tsucasa pointed out quietly to his partner. "You're still only a Rookie..."

Their conversation, however, was cut short by a small explosion, quickly followed by the door shattering to pieces. Out of the smoke and remains came a figure.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" a smug voice asked as the smoke cleared, revealing a human-sized bipedal Digimon that resembled a monkey. "All of the Demon Lords have returned now. How quaint."

"Who the hell are you?!" Karuto asked, glaring at the Digimon. He didn't _look_ like too much of a problem, but if the school was being evacuated because of him, he _had_ to be bad news.

"There's no information on him," Tsucasa reported nervously, looking at the screen of his D-Agent, but there was no display available.

"I can tell you all you need to know about him," Nyaromon said. "_That's_ Makuramon. He's an Ultimate Level Digimon, and his attacks are Treasure Ball and Primal Orb."

"I see you still remember me," Makuramon commented with a grin.

"Wait, Makuramon?" Rei asked. "As in, the Deva who collected all the other Devas' Eggs?"

"The one and only," the monkey Deva replied.

"What do you want, Makuramon?" Sangloupmon demanded.

The Ultimate grinned evilly. "Why, to kill you, of course." He raised his arm as his hand gathered the energy for his attack. "Primal Orb!" he yelled, firing his attack at Mikage and Nyaromon.

The others froze. If that attack hit Nyaromon, since their difference in level was so great, she would die in an instant.

But Mikage managed to react fast enough. He quickly grabbed Nyaromon and jumped out of the way, a split second before the attack hit his desk, destroying it. "Whoa," he commented. He made a mental note to avoid getting hit with that attack at all costs… with the exception of Nyaromon's life, of course.

"Death Hand!" Devimon yelled, firing his attack at the monkey Deva, who flipped harmlessly out of the way.

"Sticker Blade!" Sangloupmon attacked, but Makuramon managed to evade that attack, as well.

The Ultimate smirked and slipped back out into the hallway.

"Well," he commented, "It's been fun, but I believe I'll go visit a few… old friends. Ta!" And with that, he darted off.

"Let's go after him!" Devimon suggested angrily.

"No," Porcupamon said. "There's no way we'll win."

"What are you talking about?" Rei asked. "Even without Nyaromon and Betamon, we still outnumber him, three-to-one."

"Porcupamon has a point," Nyaromon put in. "Makuramon is cunning, fast, and agile. We'd never be able to overpower him if we couldn't even hit him."

"Where do you think he's going?" Betamon mused. All the Digi-Destined looked at each other for a moment.

"Miura-sensei."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Chiharu rushed down the thankfully empty halls. Whatever was here, she knew it would after the D-Class students. She and Beelzemon stopped abruptly when a familiar figure blocked their path.

"Hello, again," the monkey-like Digimon said with his familiar smug grin.

"You…" Chiharu barely choked out as her eyes widened.

"Surprised?" Makuramon taunted.

"How the _hell_ are you still alive?!" Beelzemon yelled. "I killed you!"

"Think again, fool!" the Deva said, his face contorting with rage.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"_This is fer all the Digimon who died cuz of you," Beelzemon hissed. "Corona Blaster!"_

_There was no room to escape, so Makuramon was forced to take the attack head on. It threw him backward, straight into the wall, and he didn't seem capable of much movement._

"_Aren't you going to finish him?" Tsukiko asked when Beelzemon turned away from the mortally wounded Deva._

"_Nah," the Demon Lord replied. "Just one thing, though." He turned and shot one last bullet, hitting Makuramon in the shoulder, making the monkey cry out in pain. "There. He took that attack at point-blank range. No one can survive that fer long. Let's leave him here and let him suffer."_

_And with that, they left._

_Makuramon felt himself go in and out of consciousness. He couldn't move at all, and was in an immense amount of pain. Everything was getting blurry, and he could literally feel his data phasing in and out. Was this what it felt like to die?_

_The periods where his data became loose grew longer and longer, and he was sure that he would disappear at any second. But yet, he refused to die. These children had made a fool out of him, and he had to have his revenge. He forced himself into consciousness and opened his eyes. Floating his way was a stray data packet._

_Of course! This was a _food_ factory! That was it! He just had to hold on until it reached him. It took agonizing moments, but as soon as it was close enough, his weakened data managed to absorb it, giving him strength. It wasn't much, but it was enough to keep himself alive. He stood weakly, determined to find more data packets, fueled by his rage at those children._

_He _would_ make them pay._

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"I promised I would get my revenge, and now I am," he hissed at the Demon Lord that had brought him so dangerously close to death all those years ago.

"And ya wait until _now_ ta get it?" Beelzemon asked, raising a brow.

"I had to wait until you least expected it," Makuramon commented. "And imagine my surprise to find the _other_ Demon Lords have hatched. They're still so _weak_." He grinned again. "Easy to pick off, one at a time."

"No!" Chiharu yelled. "You leave my students alone, you bastard!" She pulled out her D-Agent and cards. "Digital Enhancement. Blast Mode: Connect!"

Beelzemon smirked as he felt the extra power of his Blast Mode fill him. He may not have destroyed the Deva ten years ago, but he was going to fix that problem right then and there. "Corona Blaster!" he yelled, firing the pink sphere of energy at one of his and Chiharu's most hated foes.

Makuramon jumped over the attack as it headed his way. "You aren't getting me with that again," he informed the Demon Lord of Gluttony. He heard footsteps and looked over to see Mayu and Lucemon approaching. "Ah, if it isn't the _other_ human and her Demon Lord partner."

"How are you here…?" Mayu asked incredulously, stopping in her tracks just as Beelzemon and Chiharu had. "We got rid of you!"

"Oh, must we go through this again?" the monkey asked, rolling his eyes. "Your mistake was not finishing me off when you had the chance, and leaving me in a _food_ factory. Of _course_ I was going to survive!" He shook his head, chuckling. "Honestly, how is it that the six of you bested the Master?" He smirked again. "Ah, yes, that's right. _Five_ of you stopped him." He looked back at Chiharu. "How does it feel, having the knowledge that you _killed_ one of your own friends?"

"Shut up…" the brunette whispered, voice trembling. She was beginning to lose strength in her legs, but she refused to fall to her knees. She couldn't show this bastard weakness. "Shut up!"

"I only speak the truth," he replied with a shrug. "It's not _my_ fault if you can't accept that."

"Stop!" Mayu yelled angrily. He was tormenting her best friend, and she couldn't stand it anymore. "Lucemon!"

"Right," the Demon Lord of Pride agreed. "Grand Cross!" However, just like he had with Beelzemon's Corona Destroyer, Makuramon evaded this attack, as well.

"Is it just me, or has he gotten faster?" Mayu asked.

"It's not just you," her partner confirmed.

"Primal Orb!" The attack headed straight for Chiharu.

"Digital Enhancement," Chiharu started. Even in her depression, she was still able to think fast during battle. "WarGreymon's Shield: Connect!" The data flowed to Beelzemon, who flew down to his partner just in time, deflecting the Deva's attack with the newly formed shield.

"Cuttin' it a little close, there, don't ya think?" the Mega asked.

Makuramon looked at the women and their partners condescendingly. "Still pathetic," he commented. "I believe I'll go back and visit those others for a while. After all," he added with a grin, "it would be better to get them out of the way before they become a _real_ threat." And with that, he darted off, a blur through the halls.

"He's going after the kids!" Mayu exclaimed.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"I thought Miura-sensei said that they killed Makuramon," Tsucasa whispered.

"Apparently, she was wrong," Karuto pointed out. "Because he didn't look very dead to me."

"Maybe he hatched from his Egg again," Tanya suggested.

"No, idiot," Mikage put in, earning a disapproving frown from everyone. It went ignored. "If he did, he wouldn't remember anything about his past life, meaning he wouldn't know about his grudge."

"The Demon Lords remembered," Rei commented.

"Well, yeah," Betamon said. "When we died, we were strong enough that our memories stayed. The Devas might be strong, but they're not _that_ strong."

"I take offense to that," they heard an already familiar voice say from behind them. They all looked to see that Makuramon had returned.

"What are you doing, back so soon?" Tanya asked.

"Oh, I've decided that the younger generation will be so much more _fun_," the monkey informed her. "Now, who goes first…?" he mused to himself. His eyes roamed the group before settling on Nyaromon and Mikage. "Ah, yes. The weakest link."

"Oh, no you don't!" Rei yelled. "Digital Enhancement. Speed: Connect!"

In the blink of an eye, Porcupamon was in front of the Deva. "Slash and Rip!" he yelled, striking and then immediately moving out of harm's way as soon as the attack was done.

"Azumimaya may be an ass, but he's still part of the team!" Karuto yelled. "Digital Ability. Snimon's Twin Sickle: Connect!"

"Twin Sickle!" Sangloupmon yelled, but Makuramon managed to dodge the attack easily.

"When will you children learn?" he asked with a sharp laugh. "You can't stop me."

"Digital Enhancement. Speed: Connect!"

Everyone stared at Mikage, shocked that he would try to make Nyaromon, a small In-Training Digimon, fight Makuramon, the strong Ultimate.

"What the hell are you thinking?!" Rei hissed at the boy. She'd tried to be patient with him, she really had, but he was putting his partner in danger, and that was going too far.

"Just trust Mikage," the puppet-using boy replied tersely. "Digital Enhancement. Hyper Wings: Connect!" Everyone watched in confusion as the wings appeared on Nyaromon's back. So she could fly really fast? What could that do? "Digital Enhancement. Strength: Connect!"

Nyaromon felt herself filled with power as she charged at her much stronger opponent. She had one shot at this. "Galactica Magnum Tail!" she yelled.

Makuramon had anticipated the attack and raised an arm to bat her aside.

"Death Hand!" Devimon yelled, firing at the Deva's arm, forcing him to move it. This left a clear path for the flying In-Training Demon Lord of Lust. Her attack hit him in the face, actually making him stumble back a few steps. She flew backward and landed softly as the wings disappeared. She began to glow, and once the glow faded, a small, puppy-like Digimon stood in her place.

"Salamon," Mikage read. "Rookie Level. Attacks: Puppy Howling and Petty Punch." He nodded approvingly.

"One little Digivolution isn't going to save you," he hissed, angry that he had been forced back by the attack of a mere _In-Training_ level Digimon.

"Corona Blaster!" he heard, and jumped out of the way just in time. Coming down one hallway were Chiharu, Beelzemon, Mayu, and Lucemon. Down the other came Nakayama, Dianamon, Ikeda, and Apollomon. He was cornered.

Luckily, as though sensing his distress from the other side, another of the 'Silent Gates,' as he called them, opened behind him. "Don't think this is the last time we'll see each other, Digi-Destined," he told them mockingly as the doors closed and the Silent Gate disappeared.

"Dammit!" Chiharu yelled, punching the wall.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"_Are you okay?"_

"I'm fine, just a little shaken up…" Chiharu confessed into the phone. She stood in her room, leaning against the wall and looking out the window.

"_Well, no wonder,"_ the voice of her husband, Hiroshi Tatsumiya, replied. _"You all thought Makuramon was gone. I'd have to be concerned if you _weren't_ feeling the way you were."_

"I feel like things are about to get so much worse," the woman whispered. She glanced back at the closed door. Beelzemon had left for the moment to give her some privacy.

"_I wish I was there for you,"_ he said regretfully.

"How's your sister?" Chiharu asked, desperate to try to get off the horrible topic.

"_Not great, but she's gotten better. She can finally breathe on her own again. I… I don't know when I'll be able to come back. I hope it's soon."_

"Me, too," the brunette told him. "I need all the help I can get right now…"

**Next time:  
>Rei: So, what's Miura-sensei's problem with Makuramon, <strong>_**exactly**_**?  
>Mayu: She felt responsible for all of us. And he was in charge of the Devas, meaning that all the Digimon they killed to get at us… He sent them.<br>Karuto: So, it's kind of like a personal grudge?  
>Lucemon: Exactly.<br>Dynasmon: Takeo!**

**So… yeah. Makuramon's back~ Yay! (for me, anyway)**

**Sorry that most of the dialogue comes from Rei and Karuto. They're just the most outspoken characters in the Digi-Destined. Rei's adventurous and Karuto's kind of a hothead. But Tanya typically has this 'whatever' attitude, Tsucasa's really shy, and Mikage… Well, we all know how he is.**

**In case you're wondering about the whole 'Makuramon is faster' thing, ten years have passed. He's been planning his revenge for a long time, so he's been getting stronger, though for a smaller Digimon like him, increasing his speed and agility was the best option. Anyway… All of you, be honest: how many of you knew Makuramon didn't die in the first place?**

**See you next week~ Please remember to review~**


	10. Becoming a Team

**Alright, here we are, back for Episode 10~ Man, this is really flying by, huh?**

**Disclaimer: You get it by now.**

_**Beelzemon: **__"We got some seriously bad news. Makuramon, the Deva I thought I killed ten years ago, is alive and back fer revenge. He came by the Academy fer a little 'visit' and tormented Chiharu. She was already feeling guilty enough on her own, so I'm ready to wring that little bastard's neck! The new Digi-Destined held him off surprisingly well before we got there, but he escaped before we could do anything. Man, when I get my hands on that little monkey…"_

* * *

><p>"You failed again, Makuramon," a male voice spoke. "The Master isn't pleased."<p>

"Oh, shut up!" the monkey Deva in question hissed. "I don't have to listen to _you_. You're just a pathetic—"

"Ah-ah," the male voice said. "Be careful what you say, the Master is watching." The Digimon shut up and glared hatefully. Oh, how he hated this guy. He _really_ hated him. But… he was necessary for their plan, so Makuramon would just have to deal with him for now.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

The D-Class students were currently in Technical Abilities, doing a worksheet when Rei decided to voice a question that had been on her mind for the past day.

"So, what's Miura-sensei's problem with Makuramon, _exactly_?" She looked at their blonde teacher and the Demon Lord of Pride expectantly.

Mayu sighed. She should have known that this question was going to come up eventually. "She felt responsible for all of us," she began, referring to when she and the other original Digi-Destined had been just children. "And he was in charge of the Devas, meaning all the Digimon they killed to get at us… He sent them."

"So, it's kind of like a personal grudge?" Karuto guessed.

"Exactly," Lucemon answered.

"Why is her grudge _that_ bad?" Mikage asked. "She's being stupid if she thinks _everything_ was her fault." The other students stared at him for a moment. In an odd, roundabout sort of way, the strange, stuck up student was _defending_ the brunette teacher.

"You have to understand, it was really hard on her," Mayu said. "She was always a caring person. She felt responsible for us already, even before the Headmaster made her leader. That just put even more stress on her. It made her feel like she had to take care of us. So… every time we got injured, she blamed herself. For some reason, something in her told her that she could have stopped whatever happened. So when Wizardmon got sick, she took responsibility. When Lucemon, Beelzemon, and BlackWarGreymon almost died after the fight with the Dex, she took responsibility for that, too. But I think… the thing she has against him the most was Antylamon."

"You only ever went over that very briefly," Tanya commented. "What happened with Antylamon?" She noticed that as soon as the name was mentioned, all five of their partners began paying very close attention.

"She didn't believe in what the others were doing," Lucemon informed them. "She realized that it was wrong, so when she met us, she helped us. She even destroyed Mihiramon. But… Makuramon found out about it and when he reported it to Apocalymon, he was sent to destroy her."

"She was just trying to do the right thing, and she was killed for it," Mayu said softly.

The other Demon Lords stared with disbelief. All humans present looked confused, but Lucemon understood.

"You mean… Makuramon _killed_ her?" Salamon asked, stunned.

"Well, that seems like it's in his character," Rei commented. "So, what's the problem?"

"Well… You see… It's not so much that he killed someone," Salamon replied. "It's just that it was _Antylamon_."

"What's so important about that?" Tanya asked.

Tsucasa's mouth made a small 'o' with understanding. "They were together," he said softly.

"Yeah," the Rookie replied with a nod. "Well, perhaps not at that moment, but when we were in power, they were close. I assume they drifted, but still… That had to be hard on him."

"He didn't seem to take it too hard," Mayu muttered to herself, but the children and their partners still heard.

"Anyway, do you think that Makuramon showing up here at the Academy means that we have to go to the Digital World soon?" Betamon asked.

"I hope not..." his quiet partner said."We're not ready."

"Simorna definitely has a point," Rei said with a nod. "We need to keep training. And we need to be a _team_," she added, sending Mikage a pointed look. It went ignored.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Mikage doesn't want to fight right now," the boy said plainly. He and the others stood outside the Team Battling with their partners. Rei's idea to train as a team had given them the idea to do just that after classes.

"Well Mikage's part of this team," Rei argued, "So Mikage's training with us."

"Maybe we should," Salamon suggested. "It will help us get stronger."

The boy seemed to ponder this for a few moments. "Alright," he finally agreed. "But don't expect Mikage to help you."

Rei sighed and gave Tanya an exasperated look. "It's the best we're gonna get," the purple-haired teen pointed out.

"I guess you're right," the other girl replied. "Well, let's get this started." With that, she opened the door.

When they all entered, Karuto made his way to the controls. "What level?"

Rei took stock of the levels of their partners. Three Champions and two Rookies. "Maybe Level Five," she suggested.

"You got it," the boy replied, setting up the simulation. As soon as he walked back to the group, the classroom around them gave way to a dense forest.

"Alright, now where are they?" Tanya asked, looking around with her D-Agent handy.

"There!" Tsucasa said, pointing, but by the time everyone looked, it appeared to be gone.

"Great, hiders," Rei muttered. "Perfect."

"I say we just raze this forest to the ground," Devimon commented, earning glares from most present. "It was just a thought…" he muttered.

"Hey, I just saw something move!" Sangloupmon called, staring at some rustling branches. The others quickly turned to see, but there appeared to be nothing there. A moment later, however, a Digimon faded into view. It was large and green, with a lizard-like design. There were red bands of color on its body, and it appeared to have a helmet, armor, and goggles.

"Chamelemon, Armor Level," Mikage read. "Attacks: Tongue Lashing and Wide Eyes." He looked at their opponent and didn't seem impressed. "One Armor Digimon at Level Five?" He scoffed. "Too easy." But as soon as the words left his mouth, many more appeared around them. Before they knew it, they were surrounded.

"You had to say something, didn't you?!" Betamon yelled.

"Tongue Lashing!" many called, and long tongues flew at them from all sides.

"Eww!" Rei exclaimed as one hit her arm. The tongue just brushed it, so it didn't hurt, but now her sleeve was slimy with saliva. "That's just gross!"

"I'm with you on that one!" Tanya agreed.

"Digital Enhancement. Speed: Connect!" Rei yelled, sliding the card through her Digivice.

"Slash and Rip!" Porcupamon yelled, able to move fast enough that he ran up the tree and was right in front of one of their opponents. But just as he was about to attack, the Armor Digimon disappeared. Porcupamon lost his balance, beginning to fall. Devimon, however, reacted fast enough. Being the only Digimon present with wings, he flew up and caught his teammate before he was in danger of hitting the ground. "Thanks," the Demon Lord of Sloth said.

"Forget about it," Devimon replied.

"Sticker Blade!" Sangloupmon yelled, aiming for another one of the Chamelemon, but this one, too, disappeared. "Dammit!" he hissed.

"How are we supposed to fight something we can't even see?" Betamon asked before getting knocked into the air presumably by an invisible tongue. One of the reptile Digimon that was still visible grabbed the Rookie with its tongue and began to squeeze.

"Tongue Lashing!" three of the other Chamelemon yelled, attacking the currently defenseless Demon Lord of Envy.

"Betamon!" Tsucasa yelled, concerned for his partner. He wished there was something he could do…

And of course, at that moment, the assaulted Digimon began to glow.

"Betamon Digivolve to… Seadramon!"

His form grew, stretching into a serpent-like creature, and when the glow faded, the newly Digivolved Digimon broke free from the tongue holding it.

"Seadramon," the Demon Lord's partner read from his Digivice. "Champion Level. Attack: Ice Blast." He smiled. Betamon had finally Digivolved.

"Ice Blast!" the serpent Digimon yelled, opening his mouth and letting a stream of icy air flow out, straight toward the Chamelemon that had previously trapped him. The Digimon froze in solid ice.

"Okay, that's pretty neat," Karuto commented.

"Tongue Lashing!" another Chamelemon, this one invisible, yelled, and suddenly, Salamon was knocked off her feet.

"Salamon!" Mikage found himself yelling, though still through his puppet.

"I-I'm fine…" she replied, standing weakly. She had only Digivolved to Rookie the day before, so she was not in the best position to fight one Armor Digimon, much less a horde of them. However, she wasn't going to just give up or hang back in this fight. She was still a Demon Lord, after all, and this was specifically for training. "Puppy Howling!" she yelled, sending waves of a high-pitched frequency in the direction the attack had come from. They seemed to hit something, and a second later, there was thud on the ground and a disturbance in the leaves near them. Slowly, a paralyzed Chamelemon faded into view.

"Nice job, Salamon," Devimon commented to her. "Death Hand!" he yelled, sending the attack and the Digimon that the Demon Lord of Lust had just brought down. Due to its inability to defend itself, thus weakening it, the Chamelemon was destroyed.

The humans smiled as they gained the upper hand, but when they looked up, their good mood darkened. There appeared to be even more Chamelemon than they'd guessed, and all of them were climbing down the trees straight toward them. "We're in trouble," Tanya said unnecessarily.

"No, really?" Rei asked sarcastically. "I hadn't noticed!" She glanced back up at the trees to see nothing there. They'd all gone invisible. "Great," she muttered. "Just great."

Mikage looked around, trying to come up with a plan, seeing as none of the others had any bright ideas. His eyes fell upon Seadramon, and then darted back down to his cards. That might work… "Mikage has an idea!" he called to the others. Helping them for the time being would work to his advantage.

"Oh, really? What might that be?" Karuto asked. He and the others were willing to try anything at this point.

He pulled out the Heat card. "Mikage will use the Heat card, and then Seadramon will attack Salamon with his Ice Blast." His Rookie partner looked at him for a moment, worried, but she trusted him. He wouldn't let anything bad happen to her… Right?

"Are you nuts?!" Sangloupmon yelled. "You'll kill her. And we _need_ all seven of us if we're going to destroy Millenniummon."

"Just trust Mikage," the puppet-using boy argued. "He knows what he's doing."

Tsucasa looked thoughtful. "It could work…" he contemplated. He nodded at the other boy. "Alright." He looked up Seadramon, who nodded his confirmation as well. He wasn't too sure what it would accomplish, but his partner was a smart kid, so if he said it was okay, why not?

"Good," Mikage said with a curt nod. "Digital Enhancement. Heat: Connect!"

Everyone watched as Salamon's body began turning red with the amount of heat it was giving off.

"Now!" Tsucasa told his partner.

"Ice Blast!" Seadramon yelled. As soon as the cold air hit the Rookie, a thick mist was produced. The mist spread quickly, surrounding the entire area.

"Great, now we can't see them _or_ each other!" Tanya complained.

"Wait a minute…" Rei said, a little stunned. They could see vague shadows of each other in the thick mist, but they could also see many more. "Azumimaya, you're a genius!" she exclaimed. "And don't ever expect to hear me say that again," she added.

"How?" Karuto asked.

"Wait…" Porcupamon said, seeing what his partner had. "Those shadows… We can see them now!"

"Alright, now that we've got the upper hand… Death Hand!" Devimon attacked.

"Slash and Rip!" Porcupamon yelled, rushing forward to attack some of the Chamelemon.

"Sticker Blade!"

"Ice Blast!" Seadramon chimed in.

"Petty Punch!" Salamon yelled, rushing in to attack. She, however, was batted away by the tail of one of the slightly visible Armor Digimon. In midair, however, she began to glow as well. "Salamon Digivolve to… BlackGatomon!"

"BlackGatomon," Mikage read as soon as his partner was visible again and by his side. "Champion Level. Attacks: Lightning Paw and Cat's Eye." He smiled softly to himself. They were one step closer to being the strongest.

The Champion grinned and threw herself back into battle. After all, she was now at an equal level with the others, _and _the only girl. She had something to prove. "Lightning Paw!" she yelled, striking one of the Chamelemon.

"Slash and Rip!" Porcupamon attacked, targeting the same one that BlackGatomon had just hit. With the combination of both attacks, the Armor Digimon was destroyed.

"Not so tough now that we can see you, huh?" Devimon asked with a smirk. "Death Hand!"

"Don't taunt the program!" Tanya yelled at her partner.

"Why not?" the Demon Lord of Wrath complained. "It's like they can feel insulted. They're just data."

"_You're_ just data, and _you_ can get insulted," his partner commented.

"But I'm _real_ data, these guys are fake!" Devimon argued. "So it's different."

"Could you two save this for another time?" Sangloupmon called. "Some of us are actually trying to fight, here!"

"Seriously, this is a good debate for lunch, not battle!" Karuto added.

"Right, sorry," Tanya agreed. "Now come on, we have to hurry! The mist is starting to fade!"

"Got it," Rei said. "Digital Ability. SkullGreymon's Ground Zero: Connect!"

"Ground Zero!" Porcupamon yelled, and a large missile appeared on his back. It powered up and then fired into the air. As soon as it came back down, all Digi-Destined and their partners scattered. The resulting explosion shook the forest around them so hard that they all wondered if the school shook, too.

"Did we get them all?" Rei asked. As soon as the words left her mouth, the now-destroyed forest began to fade away, once again becoming their Team Battling classroom.

"I think so," BlackGatomon told the girl.

There was a knock on the door, and a moment later, it opened, now that it was unlocked. Chiharu stepped inside, followed by Beelzemon. "The Headmaster wants to talk to all of you," Chiharu informed them. "Come on." And with that, she left to the Headmaster's office. The students trailed behind with their partners.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"You!" Devimon yelled, glaring at Dynasmon.

"Yes, me," the Mega said plainly. "Hello, Devimon. It's been awhile."

"What are you two talking about?" Tanya asked, confused.

"Each of us had a 'rival' in the Royal Knights," Beelzemon informed the children before anyone else spoke. "And Daemon's was Dynasmon."

"What the hell are you doing here?!" the Demon Lord of Wrath hissed.

"Could we save this for another time?" the Royal Knight asked calmly. When he received no answer, he took it as a yes.

"Now," the Headmaster began. "As you all know, you will have to travel to the Digital World once you are ready, in order to stop Millenniummon before it breaks from its prison and destroys the peace of both worlds. Miura, Midorikawa, Beelzemon, and Lucemon will be going with you to form a full team."

"Sir?" Rei asked. "I just have one question. Why _us_?"

The old man replied with a rare smile. "That is a question Digi-Destined have been asking for centuries. No one has produced an answer as of yet. Perhaps it is because you each have qualities that make you worthy. Higurashi, you have an adventurous spirit." She grinned. "Onogi, you have the knowledge of living in misfortune." The boy wore a grim expression. "Serata, you know the pain of loss." The girl closed her eyes in grief for her brothers. "Simorna, your intelligence is an asset." The boy smiled a little. "And Azumimaya, your desire to become the best gives you a determination that is difficult to find in a person your age." The puppet-using kid nodded as though he already knew all this.

"When will we be going?" Karuto asked.

"As soon as your partners are back to full strength," Dynasmon informed them. "But you must be able to work as a team."

"That's what we were just trying to do," Rei informed them.

"We know," the Headmaster said, "and your progress is coming quite well. I am impressed."

"It took Mayu and Lucemon _weeks_ ta work with us," Beelzemon pointed out.

"Oh, and what about you?" Chiharu asked him with a raised eyebrow. "Like you were 'Mr. Teamwork'."

"Alright, alright, I wasn't much better," the Demon Lord of Gluttony admitted. "But they were still worse," he added under his breath.

"Okay, I'll give you that one," the brunette teacher relented.

"Now, I believe it is time we schedule individual training sessions with each of you, as well as team sessions," the Headmaster said.

"Higurashi, you are to report to the Team Battling room every other day right after classes every other class day, starting tomorrow," Dynasmon began.

"Alright," the girl said with a shrug.

"Onogi," the Headmaster began, "you will report to the Team Battling room after classes on the days that Higurashi is not training."

"You got it," he replied.

"Serata, we would like you to report to the Team Battling room after dinner every other day, beginning the day after tomorrow," Dynasmon told her.

"Okay," the purple-haired girl replied. "That works."

"Simorna, you are to report to the Team Battling room after dinner every other day, beginning tomorrow," the Headmaster said, earning a nod from the quiet boy.

"And Azumimaya, you will report to the Team Battling room every other morning before breakfast, beginning tomorrow," Dynasmon continued.

"And you will all participate in a team training session every Saturday evening," the Headmaster finished. "Are we clear?"

"Yes, Sir," they all answered.

"You can leave now," the Headmaster informed them. "It is almost time for dinner." He offered them another small smile. "I wish you luck in your training." He looked at Chiharu, who stayed where she was, even after the children left. "You may leave, as well, Miura."

She nodded. "Yes, Sir." And with that, she and her Demon Lord partner left.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Is it just me, or was that a little weird?" Seadramon asked.

"No, it definitely wasn't you," Tanya replied. "The Headmaster almost _never_ calls anyone into his office. Couldn't he have just had Miura-sensei or Midorikawa-sensei tell us in class or something?"

"Mikage begins before classes tomorrow morning," the boy pointed out. "He couldn't be told in class."

"Yeah, but they could at least have some sort of announcement or something," Rei commented. "Something about that just felt… off."

"I'm still stuck on the fact that _he_ was there…" Devimon muttered, obviously referring to Dynasmon.

"Geez, how bad _was _it between you two?" Tanya asked.

"Each of us had our own rival in the Royal Knights, as Beelzemon already told you," BlackGatomon explained. "Though, they were more like our mortal enemies. We just called them rivals because it sounded less severe. But if you thought that's bad, you should have seen when Beelzemon and Gallantmon would duke it out."

"Everyone had to clear the area or risk deletion," Porcupamon added. "It was such a hassle…"

"Well," Rei started, "At least we have a training schedule."

"That's comforting, at least," Tsucasa said softly with a nod. He was getting a little more comfortable with them, and thus talking a little more, though he hadn't spoken any louder than he was, except when his partner was in danger.

"Well," Karuto said. "I'll see you guys later. I don't know about _you_, but _I'm_ going to go get some dinner now."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Why did you not have one of the teachers tell them all of this?" Dynasmon asked his aged partner. He knew that the man hardly called students into his office, and was confused by his actions. However, he was very capable of concealing his confusion well.

"I wished to view their progress," the old man responded, coughing shortly afterward.

"Takeo…" Dynasmon said with a sigh, using his partner's name. "Perhaps you should get some rest. I can take over for the rest of the day, and tomorrow, if necessary."

"I will be fine," the Headmaster insisted. "It was just a small coughing spell." Dynasmon didn't believe him for a second. At the look he was receiving, the human sighed. "I promise, I will be fine," he repeated.

"Get some rest anyway," the Royal Knight responded. "At least make me feel better by doing it."

"No," the man argued. He was still just as stubborn as he had been as a child.

"I will use force, if necessary," Dynasmon warned.

The Headmaster went to stand, though if he was going to comply to Dynasmon's demands or not would never be knows. As soon as he stood, the color drained from his face and he began coughing. He reached a bony arm out to the wall in an attempt to support himself, but the strength left him and he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

"Takeo!" Dynasmon yelled, concerned. He knelt down and tried to wake the man, but nothing was working. He still had a pulse, which was good, but he wasn't looking very well otherwise. He needed to get his partner help. Fast.

Or it could be too late.

**Next time:  
>Chiharu: Everyone, I would like to report that the Headmaster is stable now, but he's still unable to come back for the moment. So, for now, at least, Dynasmon will be the acting Headmaster in his place.<br>Rei: What happened? Is the Headmaster okay?  
>Chiharu: We're not sure exactly what it is, but we <strong>_**do**_** know that he's very sick.  
>Beelzemon: He's an old fart, so I'm surprised it took him this long.<br>Magnamon: Ah, Dynasmon. We've come to bring you home.**

**Yeah… This was so much shorter than I wanted it to be, but I've been so busy that I literally ran out of time! I should be in bed right now…**

**Anyway, a few housekeeping things: To explain why Seadramon can fit in the hall, he's a bit smaller than most others. Not by much, but just enough to fit through the halls, which are **_**HUGE**_**, by the way. So much higher and wider than in a regular school. For the height of the ceiling, think about two thirds the height of an old, Gothic church. Like I said: big.**

**And that's right. I shipped Antylamon and Makuramon here in Digimon Academy so hard that I decided to make it past canon.**

**And also: As you can see, I did NOT forget that Dynasmon is a Royal Knight. I've been keeping that in my bag of tricks until now. Everything involving why he, a Royal Knight, partnered with a human shall be revealed next week.**

**Don't forget to review. And stay tuned~ See ya next time~**


	11. A Royal Return

**Here we are, back again~ Ready to see what's in store for Episode 11~?**

_**Dynasmon: **__"The new Digi-Destined have gotten so much better at working as a team, even being able to complete a team training exercise without much difficulty. My partner, the Headmaster of Digimon Academy, spoke to them, informing them of their new training schedule and reminding them the importance of teamwork in their mission. As soon as he sent them away, however, he collapsed."_

* * *

><p>Maemi Kuroi, a shy girl partnered with BlackGuilmon, was heading back to Dorm C when she and her partner heard the sirens.<p>

"Those sound like they're coming to the Academy..." Maemi commented.

"Wonder who got hurt," BlackGuilmon put in. Both, along with many other students and their partners, watched nervously as the front gates opened. An ambulance drove up the pathway to the door, where a pair of paramedics rushed out with a stretcher. Something was definitely wrong.

Their fears were confirmed moments later, when they saw their unconscious Headmaster on the stretcher as the paramedics wheeled it into the ambulance and drove off. There was a stunned silence before the whispers started.

"What do you think happened?" Kisa asked Dracmon in a hushed voice.

"No idea," the Rookie whispered back.

"I hope he's okay..." Jun said softly, hoping the best.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

The evening passed with no news of the Headmaster's condition, worrying his Megal Level partner. Dynasmon stood in the office, one hand to his forehead. How had he not seen the signs? Clearly his partner had been sick, but the man was good at hiding it. But, regardless, it was Dynasmon's job, as his partner, to notice things like that. Now that he thought about it, Takeo's skin had been a bit paler. He slammed his fist into the wall. This was his fault. He should have noticed. He should have warned someone...

"You blame yourself, don't you?" a female voice asked from the open doorway, and Dynasmon looked up to see LadyDevimon, Shinji Nikaido's partner. "It isn't your fault, you know."

"I should have seen the signs," he replied.

"You know the Headmaster," she started. "He never wanted to burden anyone, even as a child."

"You're right..." the white Digimon said with a sigh. He just had to hope...

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

No news came in the morning either, which wasn't a very good sign. However, in the afternoon, while the students were having lunch, a call came in to the reception desk.

"Digimon Academy, front office, how may I help you?" Hotaru asked.

"Hello," a male voice replied, and he sounded vaguely familiar. A second later, the receptionist realized that this was one of the paramedics that had arrived the previous day to take the Headmaster to the hospital. "I'm calling to report on Takeo Hasegawa's condition."

"How is he?" Hotaru asked. "Is he alright?"

"He's stable for now," the man replied, "though he will have to stay here for the time being to be monitored. Has he undergone a lot of stress lately?"

"Yes," the woman answered. "Things are starting to get dangerous again, like ten years ago." The mention of that time was all it took to give the man a good idea of the situation. "The Headmaster has been trying to prepare the new students for it."

"He's overworked himself," the paramedic told her. "At his age, he should be avoiding this kind of stress. Someone has to fill in for him while he's here."

"I know just the person," she commented, though 'person' many not be the best term. "Thank you for calling and informing me of his condition," Hotaru said gratefully. As soon as she hung up with the man, she picked up her D-Control to tell the rest of the staff.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Chiharu watched as her D-Class students entered the room with their Demon Lord partners. She had received the message from Hotaru only a few minutes beforehand, so her mood had been somewhat brightened. "Everyone, I would like the report that the Headmaster is stable now, but he's still unable to come back for the moment. So, for now, at least, Dynasmon will be the acting Headmaster in his place."

"What happened?" Rei asked, concerned. "Is the Headmaster okay?"

"We're not sure exactly what it is," the teacher confessed, "but we _do_ know that he's very sick."

"He's an old fart, so I'm surprised it took him this long," Beelzemon commented, earning a glare from his partner.

"Beelzemon!"

"What? It's true," he retorted.

Chiharu shook her head in disbelief to her partner's insensitivity and decided to continue with the lesson.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Six figures stood around a large table.

"I heard that the old man isn't doing to well," a white armored figure with a white cape said.

"That means the deal is almost up," another clad in pink armor and a pale gold shield commented.

"Shall we go retrieve him, then?" a purple armored figure asked.

"We shall," another figure, clearly the leader, replied. He was smaller than the other five, but at the same time, he was clearly the leader of all of them.

"What are we waiting for?" another, this one a red armored centaur, asked.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Mayu's gaze shot up from the papers she was grading as the school shook in a familiar way, indicating the opening of a Gate. She glanced at Lucemon and nodded. They followed the tremors to see a medium sized Gate right outside the front of the building. However, this Gate looked different than all the others from the past.

The Gate, instead of a steel-like material that wasn't quite Chrome Digizoid, this Gate was golden in color with intricate designs along the edges. Lucemon's eyes widened slightly. "Call Chiharu and the other Digi-Destined," the Demon Lord of Pride advised his partner. He recognized the intricacy of this Gate, and they would need all the strength they could get if it came to a battle.

"Right," the blonde answered, though she was slightly confused by her partner's response to the Gate. What was it that would make him like this? She pulled out her D-Agent and pressed the call button. "Chiharu? We need you and Beelzemon out at the front of the building. Bring the kids, too."

"Got it," the brunette replied, and as the Gate slowly began to open, the blonde knew that her friend and the others were coming.

"What's going on?" Mayu asked her partner as he tensed.

"The Royal Knights," he replied tersely. He wasn't afraid of them, not by far. He and the others had faced much worse opponents. A confrontation with them would simply be annoying. As the Gate finished opening, six Digimon stepped out. One was covered in white armor with a white cape. One of his arms resembled the head of a WarGreymon, and the other resembled the head of a MetalGarurumon. Another was clad in white and red armor with a red cape, a red and white shield, and a lance for one of his arms. The next was covered in pink armor with a pale golden shield. The next had purple armor and his helmet had horns. Another was a centaur clad in red armor, and the last was a blue Digimon with golden armor on parts of his body.

"Where is Dynasmon?" the blue Digimon asked, clearly the leader.

"Why should we tell you?" Mayu asked suspiciously, and footsteps behind her told her that the others had arrived.

"What are you doing here?!" Sangloupmon asked.

"We've come to get our comrade," the one with the arms resembling Mega Level Digimon told him calmly.

"Who are these guys?" Tanya asked, confused.

"The Royal Knights," Devimon replied through gritted teeth.

"Remember how Beelzemon said each of us has a rival with them?" Porcupamon asked, earning a nod from all the humans. "The centaur's Kentaurosmon. He's a Mega Level, and his attack is Inferno Frost."

"The one with arms that are all weird is Omnimon," Sangloupmon informed them in an annoyed tone. "He's also a Mega, and his attacks are Supreme Cannon and Transcendent Sword."

"The one in purple is Craniamon," Seadramon informed them. "He's also a Mega, and his attacks are Shock Ringer and Power of Breath."

"The guy with the pink armor is Crusadermon," BlackGatomon informed them all. "He's a Mega, too, and his attacks are Spiral Masquerade and Scarlet Tempest."

"Their leader is Magnamon," Lucemon added. "He's an Armor Digimon. His attacks are Magna Blast, Magna Punch, Magna Kick, and Aura Barrier." Mayu was reminded of the slight annoyance her partner had every time she used Magnamon's card. It all made sense now.

They all expected Beelzemon to introduce the final Royal Knight, but he never did. Instead, he drew the Berenjena. "Double Impact!" he yelled, firing repeatedly at the Knight.

"What's with him?" Karuto asked, not very surprised with the Demon Lord's actions. They knew him well enough by now, and they'd heard the stories enough to know that he had quite the temper when provoked.

"He and Gallantmon have a history," BlackGatomon replied. "I don't know the details, but I _do_ know that they have serious problems with each other."

"Lightning Joust!" Gallantmon yelled, charging Beelzemon with his lance pointed straight at the Demon Lord. The demon biker Digimon jumped out of the way just in time, holstering the Berenjena and baring his claws.

"Darkness Claw!" he yelled, slashing at his opponent.

"Oh, for God's sake!" Chiharu yelled. "Beelzemon, quit it!"

The Demon Lord of Gluttony paused and glanced back at his partner. She looked pissed. He was torn. He hadn't had a fight light Gallantmon could give him in years, but his partner really didn't want him to fight at the moment. After a minute or so, his desire to follow his partner's request won out and he backed away from the battle, surprising everyone.

"Why do you want Dynasmon back so badly?" Mayu asked. "From what I know, he's been here for decades and you haven't done anything to try to take him back."

"That's because the deal he made with the human still stood," Crusadermon informed them. "But the human's time is almost up, so Dynasmon is coming back with us."

"Does _he_ know that?" Mikage asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Do I know _what_?" they all heard a familiar voice ask from behind them, and they turned to see the final Royal Knight emerge from the building.

"Ah, Dynasmon," Magnamon said. "We've come to bring you home."

"My deal with Takeo still stands," the Royal Knight in question replied.

"Not for long," Craniamon told him. "From what we hear, he's still on his last legs."

"I will not stand for you talking that way about my partner," Dynasmon said coldly.

"Hold it!" Chiharu yelled. "What deal?"

"Oh, you never told them?" Kentaurosmon asked.

"They had no need to know," Dynasmon replied.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

_Dynasmon was on his patrol when he noticed something amiss. There was a sense of aggression nearby, along with cries from a young voice._

"_Black Saber!" an older voice yelled. A Saberdramon, then. He would have to take care of this before it got out of hand._

"_Dragon's Roar!" the Royal Knight yelled, firing his attack near the Champion without hitting it. After all, he didn't want to destroy it. That was what the Demon Lords would do. The Knights believed in peaceful resolution whenever possible._

_His attempt worked. The large bird Digimon flew off, clearly knowing that it was outmatched. Dynasmon approached where Saberdramon had fled from to see the damage. He was startled to see not a young Digimon, but a human child. The boy looked scared, which was understandable._

_The Royal Knight was unsure of what to do. He and the others weren't too fond of humans. It wasn't that they hated them, exactly. They just preferred to defend the Digital World themselves, instead of the humans getting involved. However, this was not one of the adult humans that stuck their noses where they didn't belong. This was just an innocent child. But what was he doing in the Digital World?_

_The young boy was sniffling, clearly about to cry. Dynasmon was impressed that the child wasn't already in tears. "What is your name?" he asked, causing the boy to jump. Clearly he hadn't expected to be spoken to. Perhaps he expected Dynasmon to attack him, as well._

"_T-Takeo Hasegawa," the young boy replied._

"_How did you get into the Digital World?" the Royal Knight asked, truly curious. _

"_There was something wrong with something at the Academy…" he said. "A big Gate appeared, and I got sucked in… Then that big Digimon started attacking me."_

"_What happened to the Gate you came through?" Dynasmon asked._

"_It went away after I came out," Take replied. The Mega stared at him for a moment. He didn't want to have to baby-sit anyone, especially a human, but the boy clearly had nowhere to go and no way to protect himself._

"_Come with me," Dynasmon finally told him, and the boy stared at him for a moment, probably wondering if it was some sort of trick. "You will be safe, I promise." That seemed to be good enough for the boy, for he stood, and Dynasmon was slightly shocked to feel the boy's hand slipping into his own, though he should have expected that. It only made sense that the boy wanted comfort, and Dynasmon was the only one around to provide it. He sighed. This would be a long trip, trying to get the boy home._

_Weeks passed, and still Dynasmon searched for a way to send the boy home. To his surprise, though, the child was growing on him. He almost felt like he would be sad to see Takeo go. The brief thought of going with him passed through his mind, but there was no way he could do that. He had duties here in the Digital World._

_Eventually, it came time to return to the other Royal Knights, because his patrol time was long finished. Of course, he had to bring the boy with him. The other Knights stared at him as he entered the main chamber with the young boy by his side._

"_Why do you have a human?" Crusadermon asked._

"_The boy was sent to the Digital World by accident. I've been trying to get him back to the Human World," Dynasmon informed them._

"_I'm sure we could find a way to open a Gate," Omnimon told him. While it was true that Royal Knights weren't too fond of humans, they couldn't simply ignore someone in need, regardless of whether they were human or Digimon._

"_Thank you," Takeo said quietly, intimidated by the number of Digimon around him, as well as the amount of power that surrounded each of them._

_It took many hours, but eventually, a Gate appeared in the chamber. "This will return you to the same place you had been when the other Gate sent you here," Kentaurosmon told the young boy._

"_I would like to go with him," Dynasmon found himself saying._

"_What?" Craniamon asked him, expressing the shock all the other Knights felt._

"_Despite what we believe about them, there is a possibility that the humans could be helpful to us," Dynasmon explained. "At the moment, we're at a stalemate with the Demon Lords. With the humans by our side, we may finally defeat them."_

"_And you wish to be the bridge that seals our alliance?" Magnamon asked, earning a nod from the other Royal Knight. The leader pondered this for a moment. "Very well. But once the human has lived his full life, you will return to us. Is this acceptable?"_

"_Of course."_

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"You said that you would come back," Magnamon told him.

"Takeo is not dead yet," Dynasmon informed his previous leader.

"And why did you not inform us that the _Demon Lords_ have returned?" Crusadermon asked with a huff.

"There was no need. They are on our side," he insisted. "You remember the Millenniummon situation ten years ago?"

"Of course," Magnamon answered.

"Beelzemon and Lucemon were two of the Digimon partnered with the humans that stopped it," Dynasmon informed the rest of the Knights. "We have no reason not to trust them. They have proven themselves multiple times."

"That may be true," Omnimon commented, "but what of the others? They have only just hatched, how can we trust them?"

"Hey!" Sangloupmon yelled. "We're right here, you know!"

"Oh, yes, I was quite aware," Omnimon said offhandedly. The humans were beginning to really not like these Royal Knights. They were a little too pompous.

"I've had enough of this," Mayu said, "Dynasmon is right. The Headmaster isn't dead yet, so just go back where you came from!"

"He's close enough to the brink," Gallantmon said harshly. "Just come with us now."

"No," Dynasmon said. "I would prefer to stay here. These students have become just as much my responsibility as Takeo's."

"So you're going to break our deal, then?" Magnamon asked.

"Not break, alter."

"Can we quit the talking and just settle this like Digimon?" Beelzemon asked, earning a glare from Chiharu that went ignored. Sure, he listened to her before, but he could only take so much time in Gallantmon's presence before snapping.

"For once, I agree with Beelzemon," Devimon said. "Let's fight already!"

"You need to chill, alright?" Tanya told her partner.

"I hate to admit it, but it may be the only way to settle this," Rei commented. "There's too much tension here, and someone's bound to snap. Just let everyone let off some steam." She looked at the teachers. "Is that alright?"

"I suppose," Mayu said with a sigh, earning a confused look from her friend. "Higurashi's right. It's going to get out of hand, anyway."

"Alright…" Chiharu whispered.

"Finally!" Beelzemon said with a grin. "Double Impact!" he yelled, firing at Gallantmon.

"Lightning Joust!"

"Sticker Blade!" Sangloupmon yelled, aiming for Omnimon.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Tanya asked. "Except for Beelzemon and Lucemon, we're all just at Champion Level. They're all Megas."

"We'll stop it if it gets out of hand," Mayu promised.

"Supreme Cannon!" Omnimon yelled, firing at Sangloupmon, but Tanya was able to react fast enough.

"Digital Enhancement. Speed: Connect!" she yelled, swiping the card, enabling her partner to dodge out of the way.

"Spiral Masquerade!" Crusadermon yelled, taking the offensive first against his opponent. BlackGatomon dodged to the side.

"Lightning Paw!" she yelled, diving at the pink clad Royal Knight to attack, but was quickly batted away.

"BlackGatomon!" Mikage yelled. He took out his D-Agent and a card. "Digital Enhancement. Recharge: Connect!"

"Thanks, Mikage!" she called as she regained her strength.

"Ice Blast!" Seadramon yelled, aiming at his own rival, who held both arms in front of him, blocking the attack with his gauntlets.

"Shock Ringer!" Craniamon retaliated, spinning his weapon, creating a shockwave that forced Seadramon to the ground.

"Seadramon, are you okay?" Tsucasa asked when he partner didn't move.

"I'm fine…" the aquatic Demon Lord growled, more angry that he was bested than anything else.

"Digital Enhancement. Speed. Strength: Connect!" Rei yelled, having discovered the secret of swiping two cards at once for a combination.

"Slash and Rip!" the enhanced Demon Lord of Sloth called out, rushing at Kentaurosmon. He was about to hit the raised shield before quickly changing direction and attacking his side instead.

"Inferno Frost!" the Royal Knight yelled, going to attack while Porcupamon was still in close range, but the Demon Lord moved back quickly before the Speed card wore off.

"This is getting us nowhere!" Karuto muttered angrily.

"Tell me about it," Tanya commented. Her partner was bitter that he couldn't fight, since his rival was on their side anyway.

"We don't have to fight like this," Lucemon told Magnamon. He wasn't usually trying to be the rational one, but he knew that the other Demon Lords wouldn't stand a chance. If he could convince Magnamon to stand down, then maybe this pointless fight could be stopped.

"It appears to be the only way," Magnamon argued. "If we win, Dynasmon comes back with us."

"That's just childish," the Demon Lord of Pride said, annoyed with his rival. Since when had the Royal Knights acted like this? Yes, they were pompous and annoying, but they had never been _this_ bad. "I believe Dynasmon should choose for himself where he'll stay. And he's decided to stay here at the Academy."

Magnamon paused. As much as he hated to admit it, the Demon Lord had a point. They should let Dynasmon choose, and he'd made his choice. However, perhaps they could still change his mind. "Magna Blast!"

"So that's how it's going to be, is it?" Lucemon asked, dodging the attack. "Very well. Grand Cross!"

"Spiral Masquerade!"

"Shock Ringer!"

"Inferno Frost!"

"Supreme Cannon!"

Mikage, Tsucasa, Rei, and Karuto watched nervously as each of their partners was hit with a powerful attack. They weren't getting up, which worried the humans, but after a moment, the Champions began to glow.

"BlackGatomon Digivolve to… Bastemon!"

"Seadramon Digivolve to… MegaSeadramon!"

"Porcupamon Digivolve to… Astamon!"

"Sangloupmon Digivolve to… Sagomon!"

"Bastemon, Ultimate Level," Mikage read the info on his partner. "Attacks: Witch Warp and Vampire Wave."

"MegaSeadramon, Ultimate Level," Tsucasa read. "Attacks: Lightning Javelin and Mega Ice Blast."

"Astamon, Ultimate Level," Rei said. "Attacks: Hellfire and Maverick."

"Sagomon, Ultimate Level," Karuto finished. "Attacks: Whirlpool Formation, Waterfall Formation, and Crescent Moon Slash."

Devimon glared. All of them had made it Ultimate Level, and here he was, stuck at Champion, because Dynasmon wasn't a part of this fight.

"Thanks for the help!" MegaSeadramon told the Knights. "Lightning Javelin!"

"Just because you Digivolved to Ultimate doesn't make you a match for us," Craniamon commented.

"We'll still crush you," Crusadermon told them.

"There will be no crushing as long as I'm around," Dynasmon informed them all. "Stop this nonsense." He looked at Magnamon. "Honestly, Magnamon, you should know better."

"_You_ should know better, Dynasmon," the Armor Digimon commented. "You shouldn't go back on a promise."

"It wasn't a promise, it was deal, and deals can be changed," the other Knight explained. "Now cease this."

Magnamon looked at him for a moment before sighing. He was right. What a fool he was being… "Alright, we'll stop our attack," he said, and all halted, except for Gallantmon and Beelzemon, who were still going at it.

"Shield of the Just!" Gallantmon yelled, aiming the beam from his shield at the Demon Lord of Gluttony.

"Double Impact!" Beelzemon yelled, jumping in the air to avoid the attack and firing off a few rounds.

"Beelzemon, he said _stop_!" Chiharu said, but her partner wasn't listening. He was too lost in the battle. There was only one thing she could think of to do to get him to stop. She ran over to where they were battling and stepped between them. "Stop!"

"Chiharu, get outta the way," the Demon Lord growled.

"No," the woman replied. "You're supposed to _stop_ fighting. The Royal Knights are going to stand down." She turned to Gallantmon. "_Aren't you_?"

The Knight was taken aback for a moment. He'd never received this kind of behavior from a human before. She didn't fear the damage he could do to her, not that he would. He was above that. "Of course," he replied, looking back to his own leader.

"So, you're staying here with the humans, then?" Magnamon asked one more time, hoping that Dynasmon would change his mind.

"Yes," he said yet again. "I'm sorry, but this is where I belong."

"Very well, then," the leader of the Royal Knights said after a moment. "We'll return to the Digital World, but our offer stays open. You're free to return if you ever change your mind."

"I won't," Dynasmon assured him, "but thank you. But next time, don't attack my students."

"Deal," Magnamon replied. He turned to the Gate, and the other Knights followed. Gallantmon, the last one through, was hit with one final bullet, but in an attempt to be the mature one, didn't turn to retaliate.

"You are _such_ a child, you know that?" Chiharu asked her partner who attempted to look innocent.

"Who, me?"

**Next time:  
>Bastemon: How much longer do you think we have?<br>Astamon: Not too sure. Why?  
>Bastemon: I want to know how much more relative peace we have before we have to go to the Digital World.<br>MegaSeadramon: I don't think any of us have an answer to that.  
>Devimon: Dammit!<strong>

**So… yeah. The Royal Knights. I know this chapter resolved in a funky way, but come on. They were being ridiculously childish, and once Magnamon realized that, he told his side to stand down. The reason the Demon Lords didn't keep attacking was because they were at least smart enough to back off. Except Beelzemon, just because, you know… Beelzemon.**

**Anyway, I kinda screwed up with the Headmaster's age in season one. I said he was, like, 57. Changed my mind. He was 68, so now he's 78 in season 2, making his getting sick a totally viable thing. And in case anyone was wondering **_**why**_** there are cards of two Royal Knights, as a part of the alliance-type thing the humans made with the Knights, two of them (Magnamon and Crusadermon) supplied the humans with excess data to create the cards to assist them. I think that's it, but if you have any more questions… feel free to ask.**

**See you next week, and don't forget to review~**


	12. The Ultimate Wrath

**Okay, before I start this off, I would like to talk about the Royal Knights. I have heard from **_**multiple **_**people, "Magnamon isn't the leader of the Royal Knights, Alphamon is." While this may be true, keep in mind that I had to switch things up a bit. Plus, one of the OC submissions that I got had Alphamon as the Mega form. So, I just have one simple request, is my bottom line: if you see something that doesn't coincide with original Digimon fact, please just roll with it. I usually have a reason.**

**Anywho, now that that's over with, let's get started with episode 12~**

_**Mayu: **__"So, after the Headmaster collapsed from being really sick, we got a visit from the Royal Knights. See, Dynasmon was one of them, and he made a deal with the Headmaster a long time ago, agreeing to be his partner and be the bridge between the Royal Knights and the humans. Well, they wanted him back, now that the Headmaster's really old, but he said no. That started this whole fight, which kinda made things worse. But then, somehow, Dynasmon got everyone to stop, making the Knights see reason, and they left with the offer that he could return anytime he wanted. All of the other Demon Lords made it to Ultimate Level during the battle. Well, all of them except Devimon, that is…"_

* * *

><p>"Death Hand!" the Champion Level Demon Lord of Wrath yelled, aiming the attack at the program in front of him. He'd gotten quite pissed that he was left behind in the Digivolution to Ultimate, so he'd convinced Tanya to come down every time they were free when one of the others wasn't already training.<p>

"Lightning Blade!" the opponent, an Andromon, retaliated.

"Digital Ability. Speed: Connect!" Tanya yelled, swiping her card to enable her partner to dodge the attack in time. As soon as he was out of the way, she drew another one. "Digital Ability. MetalGarurumon's Metal Wolf Claw: Connect!"

"Metal Wolf Claw!" Devimon yelled, firing the Mega Level attack at Andromon. The Ultimate raised its arms to block the attack, and while the damage was reduced, it was sent sliding back a few feet. "How do you like me now?" he asked with an evil smirk.

"Devimon, just concentrate on the battle," his partner said, rolling her eyes. "You can gloat later."

"Why?" he asked. "I can gloat and fight at the same time!"

"Yeah, well you'll look like an idiot if you start gloating and it beats you," the girl pointed out dryly.

"Fat chance!" the devil Digimon yelled. "Death Hand!" he attacked, sending a blast of unholy energy at the android Digimon.

Andromon raised its arms to block the attack again, but was a little too slow this time. The direct hit destroyed it, and the factory scene around them disappeared and became the classroom again.

"Still nothing, huh?" Tanya asked her partner.

"No," he replied through gritted teeth. He'd tried so hard to get himself to Digivolve, but so far, no luck, and it was really pissing him off. He loved a good fight, and since he was weaker than all the others, there was a good chance that in the next attack, they wouldn't let him fight. And that did not sit well with him at all.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

The other Digi-Destined and their partners were hanging around in the Dorm when something sprang to Bastemon's mind.

"How much longer do you think we have?" the Demon Lord of Lust asked the others.

"Not too sure," Astamon replied. "Why?"

"I want to know how much more relative peace we have before we have to go to the Digital World," she explained. She and the others obviously still weren't ready to return yet.

"I don't think any of us have an answer to that," MegaSeadramon added.

"It _would_ be nice to stay here a little while longer," Sagomon put in.

"You're telling me…" Astamon mentioned with a yawn.

"Well, I know we won't be going until Dynasmon thinks we're ready," Rei put in.

"Unless his hand is forced," Mikage supplied. "If things get too bad to fast, he won't have a choice."

"Well, aren't you just a ray of sunshine?" Karuto muttered. Things had gotten a little better with the strange boy, but he was still very capable of being a complete ass sometimes.

"Mikage is just saying it like it is," the boy replied indignantly.

"He has a point," Bastemon said, defending her partner. "We should really work on getting stronger.

"That's a little hard to do with Serata and Devimon hogging the Team Battling room," Rei commented.

"Can you blame them?" Tsucasa asked. "They probably feel left behind."

"Yeah," MegaSeadramon added with a nod. "If Devimon has to sit out in a fight… Well, watch out afterward."

"It's like trying to keep Beelzemon out of a fight," Sagomon informed them. "It won't end well."

"I would imagine not," Karuto responded. "So, we just let them keep training until they make it to Ultimate?"

"Sounds like a plan," Rei said. "And if we want to train, we can talk to Miura-sensei. She might let us use the gym to train against each other."

"Good idea," Karuto agreed.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"So, they've all made it to Ultimate except Devimon, hm?" the annoying familiar male voice asked.

"Yes," Makuramon said, gritting his teeth. He still hated this guy with a burning passion. Why did _he_ get to have the Master's good graces, while Makuramon, a loyal servant for over _ten years_, was forced to do grunt work?

"Every one of them is important for their plan," the male informed him needlessly. The monkey Deva was well aware. "Send someone to get rid of him and his partner."

"Yes," he replied, grudgingly adding, "Sir."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Tanya looked over at her sulking partner and sighed. They were at dinner after their latest session, and Devimon still hadn't cooled off from earlier.

"Relax," Jun replied. "You'll get it eventually. Hell, you guys are way better than us," he said, indicating to himself and Centarumon. "It took us a good six months just to get to Champion."

"The time just hasn't been right," the Champion in question added. "When it is, you'll know."

Devimon glared at them both. Being a mere Tamer and partner, they couldn't possibly understand. Not only did he need the power of a fully Digivolved Mega to help defeat Millenniummon, but he couldn't sit by idly in a battle, though that was probably what they would make him do. He couldn't let that happen.

"Just leave him alone," Tanya suggested to them quietly. "Let him cool off on his own."

"Alright," the bluenette replied with a small nod.

"Anyway, what's been going on with you?" Rei asked him. "What's C-Class been learning lately?"

"Well, we've been going over the differences between the older stories of the Demon Lords and the truth of what really happened," he replied. "We're trying to figure out how the story became so warped."

"Yeah, what _did_ they think happened instead, anyway?" Rei asked.

"There was this story that the Demon Lords were a group of bitter Digimon that hated the peace in the Digital World but knew that the Sovereigns would be there to stop them, so they combined their power and killed the Sovereigns," Centarumon replied.

"How'd they get _that_ idea?" Astamon asked. "We _supported_ the Sovereigns."

"With time, everyone forgot about Millenniummon, and with how twisted and corrupt you guys were getting, they thought it was only logical that you were the ones responsible," Jun explained.

"I guess that makes sense…" Rei pondered. "Sorta…"

"Well, it's just a theory, anyway," Jun said with a shrug. "There's no real way to know for sure."

"What about you?" Centarumon asked. "What have you all been learning in D-Class?"

"Miura-sensei and Midorikawa-sensei have really been emphasizing how to work as a team," Tanya replied.

"They've been telling us about their battles in the past, to kind of give us advice on what works and what doesn't," Astamon added.

"That's a pretty good idea," Jun commented. "Have they gone over the best way to beat Millenniummon?"

"Vaguely," Rei answered. "Midorikawa-sensei mentioned that they don't know a sure way to beat it, since they could only seal it. Miura-sensei's just been avoiding the topic altogether."

"Still blaming herself for what happened?" Centarumon asked, earning a nod. He sighed. "When is she going to learn that it wasn't her fault? Everything we read in the textbooks told us that there was no other way, and Midorikawa-sensei herself confirmed that. If it wasn't Hideaki Kokawa, it would have just been someone else."

"I heard that Beelzemon was going to do it," Tanya put in, "but Kokawa wouldn't let him."

"Massive respect, right there," Rei commented. She paused. "I really hope _we_ aren't going to have to sacrifice anyone."

"It won't be a problem," Devimon said confidently, having been pulled out of his gloom for the moment. "We're stronger now, especially partnered with you guys."

"Yeah," Tanya started, "but if it breaks through the sealed Millennium Gate, that means _it's_ stronger, too."

"Why do you have to be such a downer?" Rei asked. Tanya wasn't normally like this, but she did have a point.

"I'm just telling it like it is," the purple haired teen replied with a shrug.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"You understand your mission?" Makuramon asked the large Digimon in front of him.

"Yes," it replied. "I go to the Human World and get rid of the Demon Lord of Wrath and his partner."

"Very good," the Deva replied with a smirk. "Well, get to it, then."

"Right away," it said as the Gate appeared behind it.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

The school began to shake as a large Gate opened in the courtyard. The large Digimon looked like a mass of parts: it had the torso of a Greymon, legs of a Garurumon, the tail of a Monochromon, one set of wings of an Angemon, another from Airdramon, and four arms. Two were those of a Devimon, one was that of a SkullGreymon, and the last belonged to a Kuwagamon.

"What the heck is _that_ thing?" Mayu asked, being the first one on scene. She made a disgusted face. "Frankenmon?"

"Try Kimeramon," Chiharu informed her as she approached, holding her Digivice out. "He's an Ultimate, and his attack is Heat Viper."

"Nasty," the blonde muttered.

"Where is the human partnered with the Demon Lord of Wrath?" it asked.

"Like hell we'll tell you!" Beelzemon growled. At that moment, however, all the other Digi-Destined arrived.

"Okay, what is that?" Rei asked, making a face very similar to that that Mayu had made moments ago.

"Kimeramon," Chiharu informed them. "I think you should stay out of this and let us handle it."

"No," Mikage said stubbornly.

"With all due respect, sensei, isn't this our job? To stop Digimon that are trying to hurt innocent people?" Tsucasa asked.

"Whoa, deja vu…" Beelzemon muttered, remembering this conversation a few times with these kids, as well as in the past, with Shimizu.

"The kids have a point," Mayu commented.

"Um, am I the only one wondering why that thing isn't attacking yet?" Karuto asked, staring at the Ultimate who hadn't made a single move to attack them since they had arrived. All the others turned to see Kimeramon studying the group.

"Where is the girl?" it asked. The students looked confused, wondering what girl it meant, but Chiharu, Mayu, Beelzemon, and Lucemon glanced at the group to see that Tanya and Devimon were, indeed, missing.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Let me get out there!" Devimon yelled angrily. He and Tanya were in their room, and the human was standing in the doorway, preventing her partner from passing.

"No," she insisted. "Let's just let the others take care of it, and then we'll train when it's safe. You aren't strong enough yet."

"Bullshit!" he yelled. "There's no training better than the real thing!"

Tanya glared up at her partner for a moment more, and he met her stare with an equal amount of anger. She sighed, knowing that there was no way she was going to get through to him. "Fine," she finally said, stepping out of the way. "But promise me that we'll leave if it gets too rough."

Devimon didn't respond. He simply moved past her, and she followed close behind.

As soon as they left the dorm, a large thud shook the ground around them. They both looked up to see Kimeramon staring down at them.

"Finally," it said, its mouth somehow twisting into a sinister smile. "I found you at last."

Tanya reached for her D-Agent to read the info on her new opponent, but before she could, its red arm slammed her against the wall, trapping her. Her Digivice went flying, landing somewhere far out of reach. The human stared up at the large Digimon, eyes wide with fear. This was the same Digimon, or at least the same type of Digimon, that had attacked her ten years ago when all the Gates opened.

"Dammit!" the Demon Lord of Wrath yelled. "Tanya!"

"You can't save her," Kimeramon taunted. "You're still a weak, pathetic Champion, unable to keep up with the other Demon Lords. Even the Demon Lord of Sloth is almost back at full power."

"Death Hand!" Devimon yelled, firing the attack, aiming for the head. One of Kimeramon's Devimon-like arms swatted the attack away.

Tanya snapped out of her fear. "Go get the others!" she yelled to him, resulting in her being pushed farther into the wall.

"No way in _hell_ I'm leaving!" the Demon Lord of Wrath found himself yelling. It slightly surprised him, but he couldn't leave her. She was his partner, but more importantly, she was his friend.

"Heat Viper!" it yelled, firing a powerful blast from its mouth. Devimon dodged out of the way, but without the aid of Tanya's D-Agent and cards, he was a moment too slow, and the attack hit one of his wings. Devimon glared and turned sharply to face his opponent, but he winced. His wing was damaged more than he thought. He would have to ignore it, though. Perhaps an aerial position would help…

He bent his legs slightly before shooting into the sky, above Kimeramon's head and out of reach from his long arms. "Death Hand!" he yelled. Perhaps he might actually do some damage this time.

But Kimeramon had other plans. It pulled Tanya away from the wall and grabbed her with another hand. Adding insult to injury, it had grabbed her with one of its Devimon-like arms. The hand began tightening around the girl. "Surrender, or the girl dies," it warned.

"Don't do it, Devimon!" Tanya choked out. She wasn't going to let him give up, not if she could help it.

Devimon hesitated for only a moment. "You'll kill us both anyway," he stated, already gathering the energy in his hand. "If I'm going down, I'm going down fighting! Death Hand!" This attack was stronger than the previous two, quite possibly because it was fueled by the Demon Lord's rage at the taunting, and more important, the danger to his partner. Kimeramon was actually visibly damaged by the attack, though only slightly.

"Heat Viper!" it attacked again, angry that a mere Champion had been able to damage it, Demon Lord or no. Devimon, however, was ready. He'd begun to dodge before the blast had even left the Ultimate's mouth, able to avoid devastating damage.

"Nice try!" the Champion yelled with a smug expression, but the smirk dropped when Kimeramon's grip tightened around Tanya. It was clear that the girl was quickly losing the ability to breathe. If he didn't do anything soon, the human would die. As soon as that realization hit him, and the cruel laughter from Kimeramon hit his ears, he felt a strong fury rush through him, stronger than anything he ever remembered. But the energy also held something light. But what?

"Devimon Digivolve to… NeoDevimon!"

In the same place where Devimon had hovered unsteadily with a damaged wing was a Digimon with a golden mask and large, strong red wings. "Get your hands off my partner before I make you." Kimeramon merely laughed, though NeoDevimon could detect a hint of nervousness now in its voice. "Your funeral. Guilty Claw!" His arm shot out, extending until it reached Kimeramon's head, fingers entering its head and beginning to take control over it. "Let her go," he said in an even tone, and immediately, it set Tanya down on the ground. The girl was gasping for air, but seemed otherwise fine. "Now," he added in a cruel tone, "Destroy yourself." He removed his hand as soon as Kimeramon raised an arm and forced it through its own torso, piercing through the other side. It repeated the process with its other three arms, and it began to disintegrate. NeoDevimon nodded in satisfaction before landing on the ground next to his quickly recovering partner. "Are you alright?"

"You Digivolved…" she gasped out with a weak smile.

"Glad you noticed," he said with a small laugh.

"Thanks," she said with a smile.

"Are you both alright?" they heard from behind them, and they turned to see the rest of the Digi-Destined, as well as their Digi-Destined teachers.

"Where's Kimeramon?" Beelzemon asked.

"NeoDevimon took care of him," Tanya answered with a smile.

"You Digivolved, huh?" Bastemon observed. "Welcome to the club."

"I can't believe you took on Kimeramon on your own," Rei commented, impressed.

"Why not?" NeoDevimon asked defensively.

"Hey, it just looked strong, that's all," she said, rolling her eyes. "Don't get your leather pants in a twist…"

"Well, now we can all start working as a team again," Tsucasa suggested. "You know, now that we're all at the same level."

"I'm cool with that," Tanya replied. "See you guys Saturday."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"You said that you would take care of it."

Makuramon winced. He knew that this time, the other male spoke for the Master itself, meaning that he _was_ in trouble. "My apologies, Sir," he replied, knowing that the message was being directly relayed to the Master. "I thought Kimeramon could handle the job."

"Evidently, you were wrong," the voice warned him. "This has been your second failure involving these children." The monkey Deva prepared for the worst. "Were it not for you ability to get intel on the Human World so easily, you would be instantly deleted."

"I understand," he replied, trying to hide the trembling throughout his body. He wasn't one to feel fear often. But a threat from the Master… It chilled him to the bone.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"What was all that about?" Beelzemon muttered. He, Chiharu, Mayu, and Lucemon were in the staff room.

"What do you mean?" Mayu asked. "It was an attack, just like always."

"No," Beelzemon said, shaking his head. "It wasn't _just _an attack. Kimeramon came lookin' fer Serata and Devimon. Why?"

"Well, they were the only ones that hadn't made it to Ultimate Level," Chiharu suggested.

"That's true," Lucemon began, "but how did _they_ know that?" The women froze. It was a very good question. Especially with that Silent Gate now… What if they were being spied on?

"We need to keep a close eye out," Chiharu said grimly. "We have to make sure we aren't infiltrated again."

"Because who knows what they could pull next?" Mayu added.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"So, you guys are finally all at an even level, huh?" Michael asked, hanging out with Elijah, Karuto, and their partners.

"That's a good thing, right?" Veemon asked.

"Well, I think it's both good _and_ bad," Karuto confessed. "I mean, it's good because it means we're getting stronger and everything, and we'll be ready, but… it also means that we'll be going to the Digital World soon. And I'm going to be completely honest here. I'm afraid."

"I would be, too," Elijah told him. "I mean, all those Digimon around you that could attack at any time, no guarantee of shelter, the fate of two worlds resting on your shoulders…"

"Maybe you should stop now," Veemon advised his partner.

"Yeah," Wormmon advised. "You're really not helping."

"Uh, right. Sorry."

"So, what was up with that Digimon that got through?" Michael asked.

"Oh, yeah!" Elijah said. "Didn't it just look at you guys for a minute before leaving somewhere else? What was that about?"

"It was after Serata," Sagomon informed them. "She was the weakest link, so we can only guess that they were trying to weaken the team by sending Kimeramon here to kill her and Devimon."

"But luckily, Devimon Digivolved into NeoDevimon and destroyed it, instead," Karuto finished.

"Well, that's good," Wormmon commented.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Thanks again, NeoDevimon," Tanya said with a small smile as she and the Demon Lord in question sat in their room. "If you hadn't Digivolved, I might have died."

"Any time," NeoDevimon told her. "But try to stay out of that kind of situation. Deal?"

"Alright, alright, deal," the purple haired girl said with a small laugh.

"Good," he said with a nod. There was a moment's pause before he spoke again. "I'm sorry I got you into that mess."

"What do you mean?" Tanya asked.

"If I had Digivolved sooner, Kimeramon wouldn't have been sent after us. At least, not us specifically."

"Hey, the time wasn't right before, remember?" the human reminded him with a shrug. "And this whole deal helped you get stronger."

"Okay, that's true," he agreed. "Wait… Did you remember to grab your Digivice again?" he asked, remembering how it had flown out of her hand when their opponent had grabbed her.

Tanya was about to respond that of course she had, but when her hand went to her bag where she attached it, she grasped air. "Shit…" she muttered.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

In the middle of the night, a single figure stood, surrounded by darkness. It was past curfew, and thus all the lights were out. Perfect.

The figure bent down and grasped the familiar object. "Well, well, well," he mused to himself. "You shouldn't have let go of this…" He picked the D-Agent up and looked at it for a moment. "You'll need it in the future." He pocketed the device. "Pity," he muttered, disappearing into the shadow of the night.

**Next time:  
>Mayu: You lost <strong>_**what**_**?  
>Tanya: It fell when I got attacked.<br>Rei: You know we have to find it now, right?  
>MegaSeadramon: We have a problem. It's not here.<strong>

**Okay, first off: I would like to thank you all for putting up with my random typos and not calling me out on them. I really **_**am**_** good with grammar, I just type too fast, accidentally press the wrong key, and go on without noticing.**

**Alright, Rambonata, I know you mentioned nothing about Tanya ever being attacked by a Digimon in the past, but it just kinda got added in Feel My Wrath, and it was something I decided to bring back, just to add a little character. Plus, it shows Tanya conquering a subconscious fear when her partner is in trouble. Aaaaaannnnd… Can anyone guess who our mystery guest here at the end was~?**

**That's all for now. See you next week~**


	13. A Spy Among Us

**I have one little note before we get this going: as a hint for you all, the 'spy' and the 'guest' are two different people/Digimon/whatever-the-hell-they-may-be. Anyway, here comes Episode 13~**

_**Tanya: **__"So, I guess the enemy found out that my partner was the only one who hadn't Digivolved to Ultimate Level and sent Kimeramon after us. Weirdly enough, Kimeramon was the Digimon that tried to attack me ten years ago, when I was still just a little girl. It tried to kill the both of us, but Devimon Digivolved into NeoDevimon just in time to save me. But now we have a problem, because someone has to have been spying on us, and I lost my Digivice. I'm in for it, now…"_

* * *

><p>"We are in <em>so<em> much trouble…" Tanya muttered on her way to Technical Abilities.

"No, _you're_ in so much trouble," NeoDevimon commented. "_You're_ the one who lost your Digivice."

"_You_ didn't remind me," the human argued.

"Hey, the situation was a little stressful for me, okay?" the Demon Lord said defensively.

"Oh, and it wasn't for me?" she countered. "I was the one being crushed to death, remember?" She paused at the closed door to the classroom. She sighed, preparing herself for the inevitable chewing out before opening the door. No one else knew, yet, but this was a class where one learned to use cards in an effective manner, meaning that the D-Agent was necessary for every D-Class student.

She tried not to look guilty as she sat at her desk. NeoDevimon was lucky, having a mask that completely covered his face, saving him from the effort.

She hung her head when she saw that all the other kids and their D-Agents and decks on their desks. She put out her deck and let her hair form a curtain around her.

"Serata," she heard Lucemon start. "Where's your Digivice?"

"I lost it…" she muttered, barely audible.

"What was that?" the Demon Lord of Pride asked.

"I lost it…" she repeated.

"You lost _what_?" Mayu asked, staring at her incredulously.

"I lost my D-Agent, okay?!" she yelled in a sudden outburst. She ignored the stares they were giving her. "It fell when I got attacked," she clarified.

Rei shook her head, snapping herself out of the shock that the purple haired girl had actually lost the most important thing she could own here at the Academy. "You know we have to find it now, right?" she asked.

"I know," Tanya replied with gritted teeth. "Can we just get on with class now?" She really wanted to get the attention off of herself.

"Alright," Mayu agreed. "I want you all to start looking later, after class is over. I would help, but there's a teachers' meeting this afternoon."

"Is it about the potential spy?" Mikage came right out and asked. At the disbelieving look the blonde woman gave him, he said, "Like we couldn't figure it out."

"He's right," Bastemon said with a nod. "How else would they have known that Tanya used to be our weakest link?" The girl in question and the Demon Lord of Wrath glared at her. "What? You know it's true."

Mayu sighed. "You're right, though. It _is_ about the fact that we may have a spy. But you can't talk to _anyone_ about this, understand? We don't know who we can and can't trust at the moment."

"What if it's a teacher?" Sagomon asked. "Then won't the teachers' meeting be pointless?"

"We were the newest members of the staff," Lucemon told them. "Everyone else here has earned each other's trust."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Come on, guys, please?" Tanya begged the other Digi-Destined as they exited their last class of the day. "I don't want to look on my own. God knows where it could have gone by now…"

"Yeah, we don't wanna search the entire grounds on our own!" NeoDevimon added.

"The sooner we find it, the more it will help everyone," the teen tried. "Right now, we can't help out in battle at all. That makes everyone weaker as a team."

"Alright, alright, fine," Karuto replied, rolling his eyes. "We'll help."

"We'll help, too," Tsucasa said with a small smile. He was slowly beginning to come out of his shy shell among the other D-Class students, and he would have helped, even if she hadn't asked.

"Alright, fine," Rei said, sounding exasperated, but her wink revealed her humor. She looked over at the last of them, who had remained silent up to this point. "Azumimaya?"

"Mikage supposes he'll help," he said with a sigh. "Helping the team would help Mikage, after all."

"C'mon, you know you like us," MegaSeadramon joked.

"Whatever," the puppet-using boy said with a shrug. It wasn't a denial, so the others took it for what it was worth.

A few minutes later, they were all spread throughout the courtyard, looking for the Digivice, but so far, no luck.

"This is getting annoying," Rei muttered after about ten minutes.

"We have a problem," MegaSeadramon added. "It's not here."

"Maybe if we just keep looking…" Tanya started.

"It's not here," Astamon told her. "Whatever happened, it's gone now."

"You are in _so_ much trouble once the teachers find out," Karuto commented.

"Don't remind me…" Tanya replied, dreading the future. She knew she had to tell them as soon as they got out of the meeting, but she really, _really_ didn't want to.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Where's Nakayama?" Renamon asked, noticing the distinct lack of the blonde male.

"I don't know," Ikeda said, shaking her head. "He called in sick today, but when I stopped by to see how he was, he wasn't in his room, nor was Dianamon."

"Where could he be?" Mayu muttered.

"Well, it looks like we'll have to start this without him," Dynasmon said reluctantly. Nakayama, being so close to the students, was a vital part of the staff, but if he was missing a meeting as important as this, he must have had a good reason. "As you all know, there's suspicion of a spy at the Academy."

"That's right," Shimizu said. "How else could they have known that the other Demon Lords hatched, or that Serata was the weakest on the team at the time of the latest attack?"

"It can't be one of the D-Class students, since they're the ones being targeted," Mayu pointed out.

"But, as much as I hate to say it, it could be one of the other students," Lucemon added.

"Why would they do anything like that?" Chiharu asked, shaking her head. "They know what's at stake."

"Maybe a Digimon snuck in and told 'em stories about the power they'd get if they helped 'em or somethin'," Beelzemon commented. "Kids can be really impressionable, and if you promise 'em that much power, it's no wonder they'd agree."

"But how will we find out who?" Nishimura asked.

"From what I've seen, Okamoto has become pretty close friends with Higurashi and Serata," Apollomon pointed out. "It would be easy for him to get information to pass on."

"What about Smith and Basset?" Ikeda asked. "They're close with Onogi."

"Or Kuroi," Shimizu added. "She's always been a bit of an outsider to the others. No one would notice if she disappeared for hours on end, as long as they weren't during class."

"Truth be told, we have no way of knowing without conducting a full investigation," Dynasmon informed them, "but we can't do that without someone finding out."

"So what do we do?" Datamon asked.

"Well, you keep track of the use of the Team Battling room," Dynasmon told him. "Someone could be using it to create a Gate of their own."

"Got it," the Ultimate said with a nod.

"We'll keep a closer eye on the monitors near it," Shinji said, and LadyDevimon nodded.

"And the ones near the edge of the school property," the female Digimon added. "Makuramon's Gate appeared near the forest. The spy could be returning from the same place."

"For now, go on as if everything was normal," Dynasmon advised them. "No one can know that we suspect a thing."

"Understood."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"I got somethin' ta say, but yer not gonna like it," Beelzemon told Chiharu that night in their room.

"You say a lot of things I don't like," the brunette commented. "Just say it."

"What if Nakayama's the spy?"

"No," she said immediately. "There's no way. He loves this school too much to betray us. And besides us, Mayu, and Lucemon, he hates Makuramon more than the rest of the staff. Why would he side with him?"

"I don't know why," the Demon Lord of Gluttony started, "but ya gotta admit, he's been actin' weird, lately."

Chiharu was about to protest, but paused. As much as she hated to admit it, her partner had a point…

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"_I'm really worried," Chiharu told her mentor and role-model as they both sat in the staff room. She came to him with almost everything. After all, her first day of school the year after the Millenniummon incident, he'd promised that if she ever needed to talk, he'd always be there._

"_I'm sorry, what?" Nakayama asked. "I zoned out," he explained sheepishly. He was acting odd, but then again, he had been for at least the past week. He'd seemed so distracted._

"_I said I'm worried," the brunette repeated. At the time, she'd assumed that he had been concerned about the events around them, as well. That was why he was so out of it._

"_Not a bad idea," he said offhandedly. He glanced at his watch. "I'm really sorry, but I have to get going. We'll talk later, though, alright? I promise," he said as he left._

_They never did have that talk…_

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"I won't accept that," the brunette said, shaking her head. "Until we have definitive proof, I refuse to believe it. And this stays between us, alright?"

"You got it," her Demon Lord partner responded. "But if we find somethin' we hafta tell the others. Or at least Princess and Lucemon."

Chiharu laughed hollowly at that. Even after all these years, he still hadn't dropped the nickname he'd assigned the blonde back when she was still a bitch. "Deal," she relented.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Now that the Digi-Destined of Wrath no longer has her Digivice, we should strike her down."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Oh, a surprise visit from an even stronger Digimon to take care of her."

"Do it."

"Yes… Sir."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Chiharu eyes snapped open as the building's foundation began to shake. She had just drifted off to sleep, but it was just as well. She knew that she would have had awful dreams again.

"Seriously?" Beelzemon asked, annoyed. "It's one a.m.!"

"Guess evil doesn't sleep," the brunette commented, standing to quickly get dressed. Normally, she wouldn't have bothered, but she didn't want anyone else to see her in just a nightshirt. Definitely not the best thing to wear during a battle, especially when there was a good chance that her students would be there.

As soon as she was done, she grabbed her D-Agent and cards, dashing out the door. Beelzemon followed close behind. The area was oddly quiet, considering that a Gate had just opened, but Chiharu vaguely heard the sound of beating wings and ran off in the direction. She found herself at Dorm E, and saw two large shadows circling the second floor. "C'mon, show me what you got…" she muttered a second before the information was displayed above the screen. "Eaglemon, Mega Level. Attacks: Kaiser Phoenix and Mystic Break." She watched them continue to circle. "What the hell do they want at this hour?"

He question was answered when a window was smashed. If memory served, that was the window to Tanya's room.

"Poor kid can't catch a break," Beelzemon muttered, drawing the Berenjena. "Double Impact!" he yelled, firing at the one attempting to enter the room. It stopped and turned, and Beelzemon was prepared to shoot again. He dropped his arm, however, when he saw the human girl in the Mega's grip.

"Try it again and you'll hit the girl!" the Eaglemon said.

"Poor little thing can't even defend herself without a Digivice!" the other taunted.

"She doesn't have to! Guilty Claw!" a voice from the room yelled and an arm stretched out to grab the Digimon, but it flew out of the way in time.

"Nice try, but you're going to have to be faster!" it said mockingly. "If only your human had her Digivice."

"How do they know that?" Chiharu whispered. She received a look from her partner and automatically shook her head. "No. He wasn't even _here_ when we found out she lost her D-Agent."

"Maybe he overheard," the Demon Lord suggested. Chiharu glared in response. "Look, I don't wanna believe it, either, but it adds up."

"How the hell does it add up? There could be a bunch of other reasons!" she replied, getting very miffed.

"Later," Beelzemon said. "For now, let's concentrate on this, huh?"

"Right. Digital Enhancement. Blast Mode: Connect!"

"Much better," he said with a fanged smirk, pushing off from the ground and lifting into the air. "Corona Blaster!" he yelled, aiming for the Eaglemon that wasn't carrying Tanya. NeoDevimon could take that one just fine. But this one? This one was his. He had some anger he needed to get out. He didn't want to believe it any more than Chiharu did, but unlike his human partner, he was thinking of the facts, somehow keeping his feelings out of it. And Nakayama was their best lead at the moment.

It dodged out of the way and missed the brunt of the attack, but its wings were singed. It turned its head sharply toward the Demon Lord. "Mystic Break!" A bright beam of light fired from its beak, but Beelzemon was ready.

"Corona Blaster!" he yelled again, firing the weapon on his arm to meet the attack headed his way. It met the beam and both attacks canceled each other out, but not before creating a shockwave that pushed both flying Megas away from each other and knocked Chiharu off her feet. "Hey, Chiharu, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, standing. She glanced at the other Eaglemon that still held Tanya. NeoDevimon was now out of their room and fighting with everything he had while still avoiding hitting his partner. Her eyes were then drawn to movement in one of the other windows. Karuto was opening his. "Stay there!" she yelled to him. "We're fine!" He looked at her for a long moment, obviously debating whether to listen to his teacher. On one hand, he'd be able to help her, and maybe get Sagomon to Digivolve again. On the other, he could get in a lot of trouble. Finally, he decided to stay in the dorm. He had to go let the others not to go out and fight, though…

Chiharu sighed with relief when she saw the window close again and the boy's figure retreat from the window. "Alright, Digital Ability. Puppetmon's Puppet Pummel: Connect!"

Beelzemon held out his left hand as the energy gathered in it and fired many little balls of powerful energy at his opponent. "Puppet Pummel!"

The Eaglemon wasn't fast enough to dodge the attack that time, and thus took the attack head-on. It dropped several feet, and while it was attempting to recover, Beelzemon took the chance to finish it off. "Corona Blaster!" He smirked at the scream of pain as it was destroyed. That was satisfying. It didn't completely get rid of his anger about the spy/Nakayama situation, but it at least helped.

"Guilty Claw!" NeoDevimon yelled again, aiming for the wing of the remaining Eaglemon. He couldn't attack its torso, since it would be far too easy for it to turn and shield itself with his best friend, but if he damaged the wings, it would be sent down, forcing it to let go of Tanya so that he could properly kick its ass.

"Kaiser Phoenix!" it yelled, charging at him through the air. He was about to dodge, but he realized that if he did, Eaglemon would ram into the building, but a split second before it did, his partner would hit it, and she'd be a gone.

He braced for impact, but it never came as he heard Chiharu say, "Digital Ability. Floramon's Rain of Pollen: Connect!"

"Rain of Pollen!" the Demon Lord of Gluttony yelled, firing yellow spores at the bird Digimon. The spores caused it to become paralyzed, making it drop mere moments before it hit NeoDevimon. Its grip on Tanya weakened, causing it to drop her, and NeoDevimon reacted even before he could think. He dove, catching her right before she hit the ground.

"Thanks, NeoDevimon," she said, letting out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"Anytime," he assured her, setting her down. "I have something I have to take care of." With that, he took back to the sky again and faced Eaglemon, making sure to always keep himself between the Mega and his partner.

"Impressive," the golden bird commented. "Who would have thought that you would have this much strength, even without a Digivice? What they say about the Demon Lords really is true, then."

"Yeah, yeah, flattery isn't going to get you anywhere," the Demon Lord of Wrath growled. "Guilty Claw!" As soon as this attack hit, the Mega was finally destroyed.

"Well, that was annoyin'," Beelzemon commented. "They got no consideration fer our sleeping schedule."

"Now's not the time…" Chiharu muttered, not amused by her partner's joke. "They knew Serata doesn't have her D-Agent. This just proves it. We have a spy…"

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"You failed _again_?"

"I'm sorry…" Makuramon said quietly. His apology did not go to the figure next to him, though. It went to the large crystal in front of the both of them. Silence follows his words. "I understand… Please forgive me, Master…"

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"What was with that?" Rei asked as Tanya and NeoDevimon reentered the building. She and the others had heard the battle and felt the tremors, but after Karuto had come in and told them all that they weren't allowed to take part, they decided to wait in the living room instead.

"Two Eaglemon made it through a Gate," the purple haired teen revealed. "They knew I lost my Digivice."

"Then there really _is_ a spy," Karuto commented.

"But who could it be?" Astamon asked. "The only ones who know are us and the teachers. No one's told any of the other kids, right?"

"Not me," Rei said, shaking her head.

"Nope," Karuto added.

"I didn't," Tsucasa put in.

"No way," Tanya replied.

"Mikage didn't either," the boy said.

"Then that's the only explanation," MegaSeadramon said. "Besides Miura-sensei, Beelzemon, Midorikawa-sensei, and Lucemon, looks like we can't trust the rest of the teachers."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Chiharu—" Beelzemon started.

"No," she replied, cutting him off as she changed back into her nightshirt. As per usual, he was facing the door as she did so. "Like I said before, he wasn't even around when we found out."

"But he's been MIA a lot lately," the Demon Lord commented. "Ever since the incident when Makuramon came back."

"I'm sure he has a good reason," the brunette said adamantly. "He's not the spy. There's no way."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"I think they're starting to suspect something," Nakayama mentioned to Dianamon as they left for the main building. They had reappeared from where they'd come from that afternoon, shortly after the teacher meeting.

"What makes you say that?" the Mega asked.

"Beelzemon's been giving me suspicious looks since we got back," the blonde told his partner. "What if he knows?"

"There's no way," she assured him. "We've been careful, and frankly, I don't think he's smart enough to put together the pieces."

"You never know," Nakayama said pointedly. "He's surprised everyone before."

"What are we going to do about it if he _does_?" Dianamon asked, stopping to look at her partner. They'd just entered the main building.

"I don't know," he replied quietly. "We'll just have to be more careful for now." He shook his head. He couldn't worry about this now. He had more important things to think about. "Let's just go. The longer we stay here, the more we risk getting caught."

"No one's here, it's the middle of the night," the white Digimon told him.

"I heard that Shinji and LadyDevimon have been working a night shift, too, now," he informed her. "We can't risk them finding us."

"Then let's hurry," she urged. "You're right, the longer we stay here, the riskier it is." And with that, they made their way to the Team Battling. When he was sure that Shinji and LadyDevimon were nowhere nearby, the teacher set up the artificial Gate. He stood in front of it and sighed before it opened.

"I'm sorry, everyone," he whispered as he stepped through.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"So, they know we have a spy…"

"Yes. We may have a problem, now that they're on hyper-alert."

"Well, then, you'll just have to be more careful, then, won't you?"

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

It was five in the morning when Shinji and his partner made their way back to the security room. They could only cover so much of the school at once, but the cameras could catch everything. It was time to check the footage, now that the sun was starting to come up. No one would risk anything stupid during the day.

As they usually did, he set up at one half of the monitors while LadyDevimon set up at the other. Twenty minutes went by and nothing happened, but then something caught Shinji's eye. Something was moving on the monitor, but the time stamp indicated that this wasn't where either of them was at the time. In fact, the camera was near the Team Battling room, and the two figures on the screen were heading in that direction. As soon as they were out of view, his gaze switched to the camera in the room itself. He paled slightly when a Gate opened inside. "LadyDevimon, you may want to take a look at this." The Ultimate walked over and looked at the screen over his shoulder.

"What do we do?" she asked him.

"We make a call…"

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Ugh, what now…" Chiharu muttered, glancing at her clock. Five thirty in the morning. This was _way_ too early to get up on a Saturday, but her D-Agent was beeping. Sighing, she picked it up and answered it. "Yeah?"

"We have a situation," Shinji's voice told her. He sounded nervous. "Get down here to the security room as soon as you can."

That made her shoot up in bed. Had they caught the spy? "I'll be there in a few minutes," she said, already pulling her nightshirt off and grabbing her clothes.

"What's up?" Beelzemon asked. He'd never seen his partner this 'get up and go' in the morning before.

"Shinji has something for us, and I think it has to do with our spy," she replied, and moments later, they were both out the door.

Another few minutes found them in the security room, facing a grim-looking Shinji and LadyDevimon. "What is it?" she asked.

"I think it's better if you see for yourself," he told her solemnly, stepping out of the way to reveal the camera currently on freeze-frame.

The brunette leaned in to look at the camera and studied the two figures in the Team Battling room, about to enter the Gate that had been created. She blinked back tears, wishing that she was seeing this wrong. But there was no mistaking that pure white and purple Digimon and man with the long blonde ponytail.

"I'm sorry, Chiharu," Beelzemon said, putting a clawed hand on her shoulder.

"No…" she whispered, not wanting to believe it.

Nakayama was the spy.

**Next time:  
>Nakayama: What? That's crazy! Why would I betray everyone? I <strong>_**love**_** the Academy!  
>Beelzemon: If ya weren't spyin' fer Makuramon and Millenniummon, where <strong>_**have**_** ya been goin'?  
>Lucemon: You were caught entered a Gate on the security camera.<br>Chiharu: Please, Nakayama… If you weren't spying, then just tell us what you've been doing.  
>Nakayama: … I can't.<strong>

**Bwahahaha! Surprised~? I know, I'm evil, right~? Oh, poor Chiharu, her heart just can't catch a break, huh? And poor Tanya. Now that the enemy knows her D-Agent is missing, there's no way they're going to stop targeting her, right? And again, I warned you that season 2 was a lot darker than season 1.**

**Anyway, I'll see you next week, my friends~ Thank you for reading, and remember to review~**


	14. False Accusations

**Here we are with episode 14, everyone~ Hope you enjoy the show~**

_**Chiharu: **__"After Serata was attacked by Kimeramon, we realized that there had to be a spy somewhere in the Academy. We had a teacher meeting about it while Serata and the other D-Class kids looked for her missing D-Agent. We didn't come up with an answer, but Beelzemon gave me a theory that I didn't like at all. He suggested that Nakayama was the spy. I didn't want to believe it, but it was true that he'd been acting weird lately, and then… Shinji caught him on camera, heading to the Digital World through the Team Battling room. There's no other way to explain it. He's the spy, after all…"_

* * *

><p>Chiharu clenched her fist as she looked away from the monitor. She really couldn't believe it. Nakayama, one of the nicest people she knew, her mentor for years, was a traitor? She couldn't accept that, but the truth was right in front of her, staring her in the face.<p>

"We gotta tell the others," Beelzemon told her after a moment.

"I know," she whispered.

"I can do it, if you want," Shinji offered, earning a shake of the head from the brunette.

"No," she replied, "I have to do this."

"Alright," the guard said after a moment. His face softened a little with sympathy. "I'm sorry."

Chiharu offered him a small, fake smile before turning and exiting the room, pulling out her D-Agent as she did so.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Say that again?" Mayu said, startled at what she'd just heard from her best friend.

"Nakayama is the spy we've been looking for," Chiharu repeated through her D-Agent in a dull tone. "He was caught on the security camera."

"That's gotta be some sort of misunderstanding," the blonde insisted.

"Why else would he sneak into the Digital World in the middle of the night, trying not to get caught?" Chiharu asked. She wanted to believe that it was a misunderstanding, but she knew she had to face the facts. "We have to face the truth, Mayu…" She took a deep breath. "We can't trust Nakayama anymore." And with that, she hung up.

Mayu stared at her D-Agent for a moment. "There's no way," she insisted.

"Chiharu wouldn't have told you unless there was strong evidence," Lucemon commented. "They caught him on camera. If that isn't incriminating, I don't know what is."

"So what do we do?" the woman asked her partner.

"There's nothing we _can_ do about it until he gets back," the Demon Lord of Pride pointed out. "For now, let's just go through the day like nothing's wrong."

"We have to warn the kids, though," Mayu said softly. "If he gets back through a different Gate than the one in the Team Battling room, and they find him first, they have to know that they can't tell him anything."

"Right," Lucemon said. "Get a message to Hotaru. We'll meet them in your classroom."

"Should we tell Chiharu?" the human wondered aloud.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "She has too much on her plate already. Let's give her some time on her own."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"_All D-Class students, please report to the Technical Abilities classroom."_

"That's us," Rei commented, standing from her comfy chair and switching off the television. "C'mon, Astamon!" When he didn't respond, she glanced over at his spot on the couch. Asleep. Of course. "Hey, Astamon! Wake up!" Earning no response, she picked up the pillow remote and threw it at him.

"What…?" he groaned, groggily opening his eyes.

"We got called to the Technical Abilities room with the others. Come on!"

"No," he said stubbornly, closing his eyes again.

"If you go back to sleep again, you are in _so_ much trouble!" she yelled with a glare. Still no reaction.

"Lightning Javelin!"

Astamon shot up as the digital electricity coursed through his body. "Alright, alright, I'm up!"

"Thanks," Rei said, looking over at Tsucasa and MegaSeadramon. "I think."

"Any time," the Demon Lord of Envy said with a laugh and a grin.

"Let's go," Tsucasa said. "We don't want to be late."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"This is _so_ about us…" Tanya muttered bitterly, throwing off her blankets and sitting up. Since she hadn't exactly slept the best the previous night, she'd decided to sleep in this morning. "Stupid Digivice…"

NeoDevimon shook his head. "Maybe it's news on the spy."

"You think they know who it is?" she asked, starting to get dressed as her partner turned around.

"It's possible," he commented.

"Alright, then, let's go!"

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Mayu watched grimly as the students entered her classroom. After each of them took a seat, she sighed.

"Sensei," Karuto started, "What's this about?"

"We know who the spy is," she replied simply. "The next time you meet him, you _can't_ give him any information that could hurt us, understand?"

"_Who_ is the spy?" Mikage asked. The blonde didn't reply, leaving it up to her partner, instead.

"Last night, someone was caught on the security camera, heading into the Team Battling room and opening a Gate to the Digital World without permission," the Demon Lord of Pride informed them.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Sagomon said impatiently. "But _who_?"

Lucemon paused for a moment. "Nakayama-sensei and Dianamon."

"What?!" the entire group exclaimed.

"That's impossible," Tanya said, shaking her head.

"Nakayama-sensei loves this place," Rei put in. "How could he do something like this?"

"He _has_ to have a good reason…" Tsucasa commented quietly.

Mikage remained silent. He had actually grown to like the strange teacher, which was unusual for him. He never grew close to teachers, and yet, here he was, wishing that this was a lie, that Nakayama wasn't the traitor. He closed his eyes, retreating into himself to sort out his emotions. Nakayama had been one of the few people he liked and trusted. And that trust had been betrayed…

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"So, Dynasmon, what do you propose we do?" LadyDevimon asked. She and Shinji sat in the office currently belonging to the former Royal Knight. They had just informed him of what had happened the previous night.

"Keep a watchful eye on the Team Battling room," the Mega replied. "As soon as he returns to the Human World, take him into custody until we can question him. We need to know just what he's passed on, as well as what he knows from the other side."

"I would also like to know _why_ he did what he did," Shinji put in. He looked at Dynasmon. "Alright," he told the Digimon. "So for now, we wait."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Shinji sat at his desk in the security room, carefully watching the monitor on the Team Battling Room. LadyDevimon was watching the cameras on the courtyard. It had been four hours since they'd caught the footage of Nakayama and Dianamon, but so far, they had no luck in regards to his return.

After another twenty minutes, however, they finally caught a break. A rectangular light appeared in the Team Battling room, and when the light faded, a Gate appeared. Shinji quickly picked up his D-Agent and called Dynasmon. "We got him."

"Send Miura and Midorikawa," the Mega replied. "If he'll talk to anyone, it will be them."

"Got it," the security guard said.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Nakayama stepped through the Gate and sighed with relief. It looked like he hadn't been caught. Coming back in the morning, when everyone else would be up, wasn't the best of plans, but he'd been gone to often lately. If they caught on…

"Looks like we lucked out," the blonde said with a relieved smile.

"I wouldn't be too sure," Dianamon replied. "Something seems… off." She was proven correct when the door opened.

"What the hell, Nakayama?" Beelzemon asked immediately, obviously attempting to contain his anger.

"What do you mean?" the man replied.

"Nice try, but we know you were just in the Digital World," Mayu informed him.

"Come with us," Lucemon told him, and led the man and his partner to a familiar, now empty room, with Beelzemon behind them as a precaution. They stopped at the door, where Shimizu, Renamon, Nishimura, and Minervamon were waiting.

"Take Dianamon somewhere isolated," Lucemon told them, and they left with the Mega, separating Nakayama from his partner.

The blonde man's eyes darted to the door. "Is this really necessary?" he asked. "The Sealed Room?"

"The Room's protected by a barrier against Gates," Beelzemon told him. "There's no way they can try to bail you out of this."

"Who?" Nakayama asked, looking genuinely confused. Then again, he'd successfully fooled them all for who knows how long.

"You _know_ who," Beelzemon growled. "Now get in!"

The man complied without any argument, and immediately sat in the single chair that had been provided. Both women entered the room as well, and their partners stood right inside, guarding the door.

"I can't believe you're the traitor…" Chiharu whispered after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence.

As soon as the words left her mouth, Nakayama's gaze shot in her direction. "What? That's crazy! Why would I betray everyone? I _love_ the Academy!"

"If ya weren't spyin' fer Makuramon and Millenniummon, where _have_ ya been goin'?" Beelzemon asked skeptically.

"You were caught entering a Gate on the security camera," Lucemon commented. At least this time, Nakayama had the decency to look guilty.

"Please, Nakayama…" Chiharu begged. "If you weren't spying, then just tell us what you've been doing."

The blonde looked at he apologetically before sighing. "I can't," he said after a moment.

"Oh, really?" Lucemon asked with a raised eyebrow. "You say you haven't been spying, yet you conveniently can't tell us what you've been doing instead. Do we understand that right?"

"… Yes."

Chiharu looked at him for another moment before turning toward the door. "I hope you're telling the truth…" she whispered, just barely audible to the other occupants of the room. And with that, she left.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"I can't believe Nakayama-sensei is the spy…" Bastemon commented after they had all returned to the dorm.

"Hey, maybe he has your Digivice, Serata," Sagomon suggested.

"Maybe…" the teen said, though she didn't really sound like she believed it. "Or maybe he already gave it to Makuramon."

"Let's try not to think about that, alright?" NeoDevimon told her. He usually wasn't one to try to comfort his partner in front of the others, but he didn't want to think of what would happen if Makuramon got the D-Agent. Digivices were powerful things, and the ones belonging to the Digi-Destined probably held power that no one could even imagine. They'd all heard the story of how all the Digivices had been used to summon the Millennium Gate. That kind of power in Makuramon's hands… No one wanted that.

"So… what do we do now?" Tsucasa asked quietly.

"Mikage's going to go do his homework," the puppet-using boy announced, heading for the stairs. Bastemon followed close behind.

"Azumimaya might have the right idea," Sagomon commented.

"Sagomon's right," Karuto agreed with his partner. "It might help take our minds off all this for a while."

"Good point," Rei said with a nod. "Alright, we'll meet back here at five before group training?" Everyone nodded in response before heading to their own rooms to start on their homework for the weekend.

As soon as they got to their room, Astamon looked at Rei. "You think something's up," he commented.

"Yeah, I do," she replied. "There's gotta be more to this. I just can't believe that Nakayama-sensei would betray all of us without a good reason."

"It's possible," the Demon Lord of Sloth contemplated. "But we don't know how long he's been a spy. This whole thing could have started ten years ago, for all we know."

"Don't say that," she replied harshly. "Nakayama-sensei is a good person. And no one can keep up an act that long."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

The time eventually came for them to go to the Team Battling room for their training, and as they exited, Tanya said, "Can't we use to the other D-Agents to find mine?"

"Where did that come from?" Mikage asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, NeoDevimon and I might not be much use without my D-Agent," the purple haired girl pointed out.

Karuto shrugged. "It's worth a try." And with that, he pulled out his own Digivice and turned on the tracker. There were three little green dots on the holographic map, indicating the other D-Agents around him. He expanded to map to the entire Academy, and in the main building were two more greed dots, obviously Chiharu and Mayu. "It's not here," he reported.

"That must mean it's in the Digital World…" Tsucasa suggested.

Tanya groaned. "Great…" she muttered.

"Sorry," Rei told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, let's go. I'm sure you can still help out during our training."

"Yeah… sure…" the girl replied doubtfully.

As soon as they reached the Team Battling room, they saw LadyDevimon standing outside the door. "I'm sorry, kids, but you can't use this room right now," she told them.

"But we have to," Rei pointed out.

"We're supposed to train together every Saturday evening," MegaSeadramon added.

"You'll have to figure something else out, then," the Ultimate told them. "Because of the recent incident, we can't risk anyone using this room to get to the Digital World."

"We understand," Tanya said after a moment.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

A figure watched the D-Class students exit the main building from the roof of one of the dorms. He smirked as he saw the dejected looks on their faces. They hadn't been able to train in the Team Battling room. Perfect. As soon as they entered their own dorm, he jumped from the roof and landed on his feet. As soon as he was positive that the coast was clear, he dashed off to the main building. He had some business there…

The halls were mostly empty, but the few humans and their partners that were inside the building paid him no mind. Why would they? To them, he was just a normal kid like the rest. Oh, if only they knew…

He stopped in front of a door in an empty hallway. He kept out of sight from the cameras and placed his ear to the door.

"What do we do about the Nakayama situation?" a female voice asked. LadyDevimon, if he remembered correctly.

"Keep him in custody for now," her male partner replied. "Until we can figure out a more permanent solution."

"But the Sealed Room?" she asked. "Isn't that a bit… excessive?"

"It's a necessary precaution," the human explained. "We can't risk them taking him back, and if they have the chance, that could be _exactly_ what they do."

The figure outside the door almost laughed. They thought that they would save the human? If so, they should really think again.

With his recon complete, the figure left, heading down the hallway toward the exit.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Shinji, what's that?" LadyDevimon asked, pointing at the screen behind him. The man glanced back to see what she was talking about.

"It's just a student," Shinji replied.

The Ultimate shook her head. "I've never seen that student before. And where's his partner?" She glanced back at her partner. "I think we need to send someone to investigate this…"

"I think you're right," the guard replied, pulling out his D-Control. "And who knows? This might take her mind off things."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"What is it, Shinji?" Chiharu asked dully. She was in her office, trying to grade tests, but it was difficult to do so with everything running through her mind.

"There's something you may wanna check out," the man told her. "There's a kid roaming the halls, but LadyDevimon and I have never seen the kid before, and he doesn't have a partner."

"And you want me to check it out?" she guessed.

"We have to be ready in case Nakayama or Dianamon try to do anything," he told her.

"… Alright," she finally said, standing. "Where is he?"

"He's coming around the corner now. He'll be in your hallway in a few seconds."

"Got it," she replied with a nod. "Thanks." And with that, she and Beelzemon headed for the door. She had just exited when the mysterious kid turned the corner. "Who are you?"

The boy had a large red hat, a purple sweater tied around his neck a yellow tee shirt, white overalls, and brown boots. It was an odd ensemble, but the strangest part about him was his eyes. They looked so strange, but they were oddly familiar, though neither the woman nor her partner could place it. They were instantly reminded, however, when the boy smirked.

"What the…?" Chiharu muttered as Beelzemon drew the Berenjena.

"So, I see you figured me out, then," an all too familiar voice commented. The image of the boy faded away to reveal Makuramon.

"How the _hell_ did you pull that off?" the Demon Lord of Gluttony asked.

The monkey Deva merely laughed. "I've picked a few tricks," he replied. "You remember Arukenimon, right?" Yes, Arukenimon had been a spider Digimon they'd fought back in the day with the ability to turn human. "Well, before you destroyed her back then, she… taught me a few tricks. And how was I supposed to make it into the building undetected if I was in my normal form?" he asked.

"You…" Chiharu whispered as her eyes widened in realization. "It was _you_!_ You_ were the spy!"

"Guilty as charged," the Deva replied with a shrug.

"Then that means…" Beelzemon started.

"Yes, you were wrong," Makuramon informed them. "Though I must admit, it _was_ fun watching you all turn on him. He had it coming, what with all his nosing around." His eyes narrowed. "I'd hoped you'd keep him out of the way for us, but I guess I'll have to do things the hard way." He grinned. "Goodbye, little leader girl!" he called over his shoulder, speeding down the hall faster than Chiharu and Beelzemon could follow.

"Where d'ya think he's goin'?" Beelzemon asked his partner.

"I have a pretty good idea…" she muttered before breaking into a run. "Come on!"

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Nakayama looked up as the door opened. He'd expected it to Chiharu or Mayu, come to try to get more information that he didn't have. Of course, he couldn't blame them. He _had_ been acting suspiciously, but he didn't want to get anyone else involved. To his surprise, however, his visitor wasn't either of them. His visitor wasn't even human.

"You…" he muttered with a glare as Makuramon approached him.

"Stop sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong," the Deva said harshly. "It's bound to get bitten. Primal Orb!" he added, firing the attack. Nakayama, however, was lucky that they had locked the door instead of tying him to the chair, allowing him to dodge out of the way.

"Does that mean I'm getting close?" he asked, unfazed. The Deva growled at his inability to instill fear in the human.

"Be quiet!" Makuramon yelled. "Primal Orb!" Again, the blonde dodged out of the way.

"Nakayama!" Chiharu's voice came from the doorway. "I'm sorry we thought you were the spy!"

"It's fine," he replied. "I completely understand."

"We still gotta talk later, though," Beelzemon warned. "Double Impact!" he yelled, firing at the enemy.

"Ugh, you again?" he asked, dodging. He spared a quick glance back at Nakayama. This would not be his chance to silence the man. Hopefully, he'd have another chance before it was too late… "I'll deal with you later, then!" And with that, he was off again.

"Sheesh," Beelzemon muttered shaking his head. "That damn monkey needs to make up his mind…"

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Kids, we have a situation," Chiharu's voice came through the D-Class students' Digivices.

"What's up, Miura-sensei?" Karuto asked.

"Nakayama wasn't the spy, Makuramon was," she informed them. "He managed to take a human form and he's been coming here for god knows how long. We're not sure what he's after right now, but—" Whatever she said next was muffled by the sound of breaking wood.

"I think we have an answer for that question," Rei told her as the dust cleared to reveal an already familiar figure. "He wants us."

"Very good," the Deva said with sarcastic applause.

"He's there?" Chiharu asked through the D-Agent.

"Either that, or we're all having a very realistic mass hallucination," Mikage commented dryly.

"Do _not_ engage him!" she yelled. "Get out of there. I repeat, _do not engage him_!"

"Primal Orb!" the Deva in question yelled, firing his attack straight at the group.

"A little late for that, sensei!" Rei warned her. There was a pause on the other line.

"Be careful."

"Lightning Javelin!"

"Witch Warp!"

"Crescent Moon Slash!"

"Hellfire!"

"Guilty Claw!"

"Oh, I'm _so_ scared," he taunted, dodging every attack. "Even you five Ultimates still aren't a match for me!"

"Wanna bet?" Mikage growled. "Digital Ability. SkullGreymon's Ground Zero: Connect!"

"Ground Zero!" Bastemon yelled, firing the devastating attack.

"Azumimaya, are you _nuts_?" Tanya yelled as the building shook from the impact and all the furniture around them was reduced to dust. "Couldn't you have waited until we pushed him outside?!"

"If you wanted to be killed, yes, Mikage could have waited," the boy retorted.

"Can we save the arguing for later?" Rei hissed. "We're supposed to be a team right now!"

Makuramon laughed. "_These_ are the children who are supposed to stop the Master?" he asked with a laugh. "Those children ten years ago had a better chance than you do, and they only have _two_ Demon Lords by their side." He smirked. "Your world is as good as gone, and it will be all your fault."

"Nice try, Makuramon, but that's not going to make us give up so easily!" Karuto yelled. "Digital Enhancement. Speed: Connect!"

"This is going to hurt," Sagomon warned him a split second before appearing right in front of the monkey Deva. "Crescent Moon Slash!"

Makuramon barely had a second to brace himself before he was sent flying through the door, back outside. He groaned as he stood. These little brats were stronger than he thought… He'd have to make a retreat, for now. Almost as soon as the thought crossed his mind, a Silent Gate opened behind him.

"Coward!" Rei called.

He merely laughed in response. She thought he was being a coward? He was just doing the smart thing. "He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day. Isn't that what you humans say?" he commented right before the doors closed and the Gate vanished.

"Not again…" Karuto muttered.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"What did he mean when he said you were nosing around?" Chiharu asked. Since they had cleared Nakayama of all charges, they were back with Dianamon in his office.

"Looks like the cat's out of the bag," he said with a sigh. "Ever since Makuramon showed up in that Silent Gate, I've been worried. If they can make those… they may be small, but there are still some really strong Digimon they could get in here without us knowing. So Dianamon and I started doing a little digging."

"We took many trips to the Digital World to see if we could gather information from Digimon who may have overheard something," Dianamon added.

"We thought we might have been getting close to the answer," the man continued. "If we knew more about them, maybe we could even predict them before they open."

"So _why_ did ya keep all this a secret?" Beelzemon asked.

"We didn't want to get anyone else involved and waste their time if our investigation didn't turn up anything," Dianamon replied.

"We really hated going behind your backs, but we felt like it was the only way," the blonde admitted.

"Well," Mayu started. "Next time, just tell us. Wasting our time is _way_ better than making us think you're a traitor, don't you think?"

"Right. Sorry."

**Next time:  
>Rei: We gotta get you to Mega, Astamon!<br>Karuto: Hey, Sagomon! We can't let Higurashi beat us!  
>Mikage: Are those two at it again?<br>Tanya: Aren't they always?**

**Whoo~ Bet that's a relief~ Nakayama isn't really a traitor, which lifts a **_**huge**_** weight off Chiharu's chest, so, yay for that!**

**And in this little preview, I came to realize… the interaction of Rei and Karuto remind a lot of Matt and Tai. I mean, think about it…**

**Anyway, as always, thank you for reading, and please review~**


	15. Sloth vs Greed

**I am back yet again, my friends~ Anyway, before I get started, I would like to say one thing. I've been rewatching all the Digimon series, and over the weekend, I was watching Digimon Tamers. So I ask you this: is it just me, or does Shibumi look like Jesus?**

**Oh, a few more things I need to address. One, someone asked me why the kids hadn't used their Digivices to locate Tanya's in the first place. Simple answer: they knew about the possibility, but had never done it before, so the idea took forever to occur to them. Mayu or Chiharu would have told them, but they were a bit preoccupied with the whole spy situation, so it completely slipped their minds. Another thing was that Rei had been getting a lot of screen time at the beginning, but got much less as time went on. I gave her so much because, as the first of the new Digi-Destined to arrive, she's kind of the leader when Chiharu isn't around. However, I had to explore the other characters a bit more to progress the story. The three episodes about Mikage were to set his character and explain him a bit more, as well as show how the rest of the team was slowly growing on him. And then I had to return to Chiharu for an episode here and there because, despite there being an entirely new group along with her and Mayu, she **_**is**_** still the main character. Then Tanya's Digivice went missing, so… that had to be looked into, as well. Now, however, we finally get more of Rei and Astamon, though this episode is also equally about Karuto and Sagomon because those two, no matter how close friends they may become in the future, will **_**always**_** be rivals.**

**Without further ado, on with the show~ (because you all know the disclaimer by now)**

_**Chiharu: **__"Serata's Digivice is still missing, but when Nakayama and Dianamon returned, we took them into custody and tried to get information from them. Nada. Then, Makuramon showed up, revealing that _he_ was the spy, and that Nakayama was completely innocent. Makuramon tried to attack him, and then the kids, but he escaped before we could capture him. Then Nakayama explained everything. He and Dianamon were looking into the Silent Gates that started appearing, but didn't tell anyone just in case it was a waste of time. I'm glad he's not the spy. That's one less thing to worry about, but we still have to figure out: If Serata's D-Agent isn't in the Human World, where the hell is it? And how do we get it back?"_

* * *

><p>Now that things had calmed down from the spy situation, there was a relative sense of peace at the Academy. A Gate hadn't opened yet in a week and a half, which Rei was sure was a new record this year. Tanya's D-Agent was still missing, but since it wasn't anywhere to be found, there was nothing they could do at the moment. Things had gone back to normal, which meant…<p>

"Will you quit that?!" Karuto finally yelled, making the brunette snicker. She had taken to bothering him with little balls of paper again, interrupting him as he tried to do his homework. This never got old.

Rei pretended to think on that. "Nah," she finally said after a few moments. She then proceeded to flick yet another piece of paper.

The younger Digi-Destined's eye twitched in annoyance. "Why me?" he groaned. "Why is it always me?"

"Simorna never reacts, Serata walks away, and Azumimaya is just creepy," Rei answered plainly. "You react."

Karuto couldn't deny that. He _did_ react to her antics, usually with anger and yelling, which he knew was exactly what she wanted, but there wasn't much he could do about it. He admitted it, he was a hot-head. Unfortunately, Rei knew this, too, and used it to her advantage. He couldn't understand how Tsucasa could just put up with her antics, or how Tanya could walk away without so much as an annoyed comment. And he also knew that Mikage _was_ creepy. Despite the fact that he was a _tad_ bit nicer, his constant use of that puppet still slightly freaked everyone out. So he could understand why she left him well enough alone.

"Well, then, could you at least wait until I get my homework done?" he asked, relenting to the fact that there was no escaping her annoyances.

"No," she answered simply, "Because this is when it pisses you off the most."

The boy rolled his eyes. He really had to learn to stop playing into her hand like he did. Maybe then, she'd leave him alone.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Our partners are strange," Sagomon commented as he and Astamon watched the exchange between the two humans.

"You're telling me," the Demon Lord of Sloth responded. For once, he wasn't tired, but that could be because he had slept the day away during class, He had gotten in trouble for it, but whatever. The teachers finally gave up when it was pointed out to them that sleeping was what he _did_, just as much as Lucemon almost never admitted that he was wrong, or that Sagomon never stopped wanting more.

"Wanna make a bet on when they'll stop?" the Demon Lord of Greed asked.

"No," Astamon responded simply.

Sagomon sighed. He'd expected as much, but it was at least worth a try.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Another failure, Makuramon," the figure told the monkey Deva.

"At least _I've_ done something in servitude of the Master!" Makuramon argued. "What have you done, simply sat here, giving _me_ orders?"

"I retrieved the lost Digivice," the figure responded, sounding slightly smug. Makuramon didn't like his tone at all. He didn't deserve to be degraded like this! Oh, if only he could put this wretch in his place, once and for all! But the Master would never allow it. As much as the Ultimate hated to admit, they _needed_ this figure. "Without it, the Demon Lord of Wrath will never be able to receive his full power."

"Oh, are you saying that the Master would _lose_ if they were all at full strength?" Makuramon scoffed.

"Not at all," the figure replied. "But unlike _you_, I would rather be safe than sorry."

"Tch…" He hated it when the other was right…

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"I just know that Makuramon has my Digivice…" Tanya muttered bitterly. "There's no other explanation."

"I hate to say it," Jun told the girl as they ate dinner, "but I think you might be right."

"Then we're screwed, aren't we?" Rei asked. "I mean, the power of a D-Agent in the hands of an enemy that smart… Who knows _what_ he'll do with it?"

"No doubt something bad," Centarumon put in.

"Well, no shit, Sherlock," NeoDevimon said sarcastically, using the phrase he'd picked up from his partner.

"So what do we do?" Tanya asked, not seeing a solution.

"I guess we hope Makuramon slips up and tells us where it is," Rei suggested. "Maybe we can trick him into telling us."

"Good luck on that one," Astamon informed her. "He's the most cunning Digimon I've ever met. It's gonna take more that a few fancy words to get him to talk."

"I know," the teenager said, "But it's worth a try, isn't it?"

"Unless it gets us killed," Tanya commented.

"Well, aren't you a bundle of sunshine?" Rei replied with a raised eyebrow.

"We can overpower him," NeoDevimon pointed out. "We did it before, we can do it again."

"Until he escapes again," Tanya said plainly. "He may be a bastard, but Astamon's right. He's cunning, and he's smart. He knows when he's overpowered, and he doesn't push his luck."

"If we could just make it so he can't escape…" Rei muttered.

"How would you propose doing that?" Jun asked, resting his chin in his hand. "As soon as he knew a barrier was being put up, he'd escape, wouldn't he?"

"Or destroy the controls," Tanya pointed out. "Didn't he do that ten years ago, when he came back for Kumbhiramon's Egg?"

"I think I heard Miura-sensei mention something along those lines," Astamon said with a nod.

"Well, I think we've talked shop enough for one day," Rei decided. "I'm done talking about Makuramon; it's putting me in a bad mood."

"I'm with you on that one," Tanya agreed.

"Me, too," Jun added with a nod. "So, how close do you think you are to being ready for the Digital World?" Tanya scowled. "Right, sorry…"

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"We're in trouble if we can't all Digivolve soon," Bastemon commented as she sat on Mikage's bed. The boy was doing his homework, but for some reason, he never got annoyed with her when she interrupted his studies like he would with anyone else. "They're getting bolder, meaning that they might be close to being strong enough to take us on."

"Maybe they're trying to trick everyone into thinking that," the boy suggested, pointing Mr. Froggy over his left shoulder as he continued to write. "We might have a while to go, yet."

"I hope you're right, Mikage," the Demon Lord of Lust said with a small sigh. "I'm worried. What if we aren't enough?"

"You've been around Miura-sensei too long," Mikage informed her. His partner was beginning to pick up the attitude their teacher had adopted years ago. "Mikage knows you'll be strong. You'll be stronger than all the others."

"I don't know about _that_," she replied. "You've seen Beelzemon in battle. He's the strongest of all of us." She smiled. "But thank you."

"With Mikage's help, you _will_ be the best."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"What are you doing, Tsucasa?" MegaSeadramon asked his partner as the boy was writing something. He knew it couldn't be homework, since he had finished all that a while ago. Despite what he thought, the boy was smart.

"Trying to come up with a counterattack in case Makuramon returns," Tsucasa replied. "It's been a week and a half, and we've heard nothing from the Digital World. I don't trust this quiet. He's got to be up to something. And we have to be ready."

"What have you got so far?" the serpent Digimon asked curiously, slithering to his partner to look over his shoulder.

"Well, we know he realizes when he's outnumbered and outmatched," the black haired boy replied. "And that he comes through those Silent Gates. Nakayama-sensei is looking into those, so if we can figure out how to predict when and where they'll appear, we'll all go there to head him off. When he shows up, we prevent his escape from any direction. He'll either be forced to fight and lose or return to the Digital World."

MegaSeadramon stared at his partner for a moment. He'd known his partner was smart, but he never realized that he was this much of a genius! Finally, he had something the _others_ could be jealous about.

"It's a bad idea, isn't it?" Tsucasa asked when his partner didn't respond.

"No, it's actually really good and well thought out," the Ultimate assured him. "You'll have to share this with the others," he insisted.

"I don't know… What if they laugh or something?"

"I _highly_ doubt they'll laugh," MegaSeadramon replied. "You, Tsucasa, are a genius."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

It was Sunday afternoon, and though they'd been able to have their team training the evening before, they'd had no luck in getting anyone to Digivolve. Everyone was simply lounging in the dorm without much to do.

"We gotta get you to Mega, Astamon!" Rei suddenly exclaimed, though somehow, no one was surprised at the sudden outburst. It was like they were expecting _someone_ to point out their Digivolution problem.

"Hey, Sagomon!" Karuto said. "We can't let Higurashi beat us!"

Mikage rolled his eyes. "Are those two at it again?" he asked via a tiger puppet. In their training yesterday, Mr. Froggy had gotten slightly damaged, and Mikage had yet to repair his favorite puppet.

"Aren't they always?" Tanya replied, shaking her head with a sigh. It was true. She doubted those two would ever stop fighting, though at least they were able to do it side by side in a battle.

"Ten bucks says they're going to go duke it out," NeoDevimon commented.

"Too much time around Sagomon?" Bastemon asked with a raised brow.

"… Maybe."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Are you ready?" Rei taunted the boy on the other side of the mat. They'd gotten Mayu to referee a training battle between the two of them, and now here they were, ready to give it their all.

"Question is, are _you_?" Karuto shot back.

"Oh, you know I am!" the brunette said with a grin, pulling out her D-Agent. The younger boy did the same.

"Alright, both of you, remember: you back off when the other can't continue, got it?" their blonde teacher told them both.

"Yes, Ma'am!" they both replied.

"Well, alright, then. Let the battle… begin!"

"Digital Enhancement. Hyper Wings: Connect!" Rei yelled, and sure enough, three pairs of glowing white wings appeared on Astamon's back. Her partner took the opportunity to push himself off the ground and into the air. "Maverick!" he yelled, tucking the wings and heading straight for Sagomon. As soon as he was in range, his leg shot out, but Sagomon parried the attack with his weapon.

"Nice try, but not quite good enough!" the Demon Lord of Greed commented. "Whirlpool Formation!" he cried, spinning his weapon, raising water from seemingly nowhere and trapping his opponent. The wings had disappeared, leaving Astamon unable to escape.

"Digital Enhancement," Rei started, thinking quickly, "Heat: Connect!"

Astamon's body grew hotter and hotter, and it eventually became visible as a red glow surrounded him. The water around him turned to vapor, created a thick fog around them.

"Great…" Karuto muttered. Now, neither of them could see, and Astamon could be anywhere. "Digital Ability. Ninjamon's Ninja Knife Throw: Connect!" A large shuriken appeared in Sagomon's hand, and as soon as he heard movement, he threw it in that general direction.

"Hey!" Rei yelled. "Watch where you're throwing things!"

"Well, we would if you didn't make all this fog!" the boy countered.

"They're fighting more than we are," Astamon said from behind Sagomon. Before the Demon Lord of Greed could react, his opponent struck. "Hellfire!" The rapid speed of the bullets caused the fog to dissipate for the most part, only leaving a light mist that they could easily see through. Sagomon had begun to dodge the attack, thus escaping a direct hit, though he was still badly wounded.

"Sagomon!" his partner yelled. "Digital Enhancement. Recharge: Connect!"

A slight glow surrounded Sagomon as his strength returned to him. "You're not going to beat me that easily!" he warned his opponent.

"Good," Astamon replied, clearly having been switched to Rage Mode. "I thought this was going to be too easy for a minute."

"And we can't have that, can we?" Rei deadpanned.

"Crescent Moon Slash!" Sagomon attacked, stabbing at Astamon with the crescent moon shaped side of his weapon. The Demon Lord of Sloth was too slow to react, taking the full force of the blow.

"Astamon!" his partner yelled. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," the Ultimate replied, standing. "I know Rookies that can hit harder than that."

"What did you say?" Sagomon hissed. Even though he knew this was just normal battle banter and taunting, that didn't mean he couldn't get insulted by it. "Could a Rookie do this? Waterfall Formation!"

Astamon dodged the attack. "Probably."

"Digital Ability. Monochromon's Volcanic Strike: Connect!" Karuto yelled, swiping the card.

"Volcanic Strike!" the Demon Lord of Greed called, shooting the large fireball from the gatling side of his weapon. The attack hit his opponent dead center, knocking him backward and off his feet.

Rei searched through her cards, looking for a good one before Mayu called it. After all, Astamon wasn't getting up.

"Okay, this battle is—" Mayu started, but was stopped by her partner.

"Wait," Lucemon told her. "Look."

"Huh?" the blonde asked, looking back over at the Demon Lord of Sloth. He was glowing.

"Astamon Digivolve to… Belphemon!"

"Sweet, we did it!" Rei said with a grin, looking up at her massive partner. "Good thing this gym is so big…" she muttered, glancing down at her D-Agent. "Belphemon Rage Mode, Mega Level. Attacks: Lampranthus, Gift of Darkness, Dark Horn, and Lightning Horn." Her grin grew wider. "Alright, let's get them, Belphemon!"

"Gift of Darkness!" he yelled, slashing at the Ultimate he now dwarfed, claws covered in flames.

"Oh, shit!" Karuto muttered. "Digital Enhancement. Speed: Connect!"

As soon as the effect of the card kicked in, Sagomon dashed to the right, avoiding a hit. Belphemon's claws, however, embedded themselves in the floor, shaking the room and knocking the humans off their feet.

"Whoa! That is one strong Digimon!" Karuto said.

"No kidding!" Sagomon yelled. "Help me out, here, Karuto!"

"I'm trying!" the boy replied, but when he fell, his cards had scattered. Sagomon risked a glance back to his partner as sighed. It didn't look like he'd be getting help any time soon…

Just when he began to face his opponent again, he was batted aside by a large hand, crashing into the wall.

"Okay, that's it, this is over now!" Mayu yelled, but she was ignored.

Sagomon slowly pried himself off the wall. He was in trouble, if he didn't do something… His entire body froze, though, when he saw what was in front of him. Belphemon was reaching down toward Karuto. If Sagomon didn't do anything, and fast, Karuto was as good as gone!

"Belphemon, what do you think you're doing?!" Rei yelled, stunned that her partner would attack a fellow student. Was _this_ the full extent of his Rage Mode? Did he not even recognize friend from foe anymore?

"Stop this," Lucemon said coldly. When Belphemon kept reaching for the boy, the Demon Lord of Pride sighed. "Have it your way, then. Grand Cross!"

The Demon Lord of Sloth flared one of his wings, shielding himself from a direct hit.

Sagomon couldn't take this anymore.

"Sagomon Digivolve to… Barbamon!"

"Barbamon, Mega Level," Mayu read, as the Demon Lord of Greed's partner was a bit preoccupied. "Attacks: Death Lure, Pandemonium Lost, Dark Inferno, and Greedy Wand."

"Dark Inferno!" he yelled, aiming the flame at the massive Demon Lord. Belphemon laughed, but made no effort to dodge. He was knocked back a few feet, as the attack was strengthened by Barbamon's pure anger.

"Lampranthus!" Belphemon attacked, knocking the levitating Demon Lord of Greed out of the air.

"Alright, we got you both to Digivolve," Rei said, pissed at her partner for having been about to attack a classmate of theirs. "Let's call this off."

"I'm with you, Higurashi," Karuto said with a nod.

"Alright, this battle is over," Mayu announced. "It ends in a tie."

Rei looked up at her partner for a moment. How was he supposed to fit through the halls?

Her silent question was answered when he began to curl up and shrink. He was about the size he'd been as Phascomon, and he had gone through a few other physical changes. His head was much more round, and his horns has a steady curve downward. His eyes were closed, and his body was bound by chains connected to an alarm clock.

"I guess that works, but, uh… What just happened?" Karuto asked.

"Belphemon Sleep Mode," Rei said, slightly startled as her Digivice gave her the information. "Mega Level. Attacks: Lampranthus and Eternal Nightmare."

"When he's not in battle, Belphemon enters Sleep Mode, even if he's awake," Lucemon explained.

"But how can it be Sleep Mode if he's awake?" Karuto asked.

"We asked that question every day for years," Barbamon replied. "We gave up."

"What the hell was that about?" Rei hissed at Belphemon.

"What was what?" the Demon Lord of Sloth asked in a childlike voice, as opposed to the deep growl he had when in Rage Mode.

"You going after Onogi like that!" she practically yelled. "You could have killed him!"

"I wasn't _actually_ going to hurt him," the Mega told her simply. "It was just to make Barbamon Digivolve."

"What?" all the others asked dumbly.

"If we all get back to Mega, I won't have to work as hard," he explained, and it all made sense. "Plus, we have to help each other if we're gonna win, anyway, right?"

"The guy has a point…" Karuto admitted.

As the children and their newly Digivolved partners left, Mayu looked at Lucemon. "Well, that was interesting."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"You mean two of them have already made it to their Mega Forms?" the figure hissed.

"Yes, they have. The Demon Lords of Sloth and Greed," Makuramon reported. Ever since he had been discovered as the spy, he'd had to be even more careful, sending in small scouts that no one would notice. After all, who would pay any mind to a stray Tsumemon or Pagumon? The In-Training Digimon were always his best spies. So easily manipulated, and no one would suspect them of any deception.

"You need to stop the rest of them from Digivolving. Are we understood, Makuramon?"

"Yes, Sir," he replied through clenched teeth. "Loud and clear."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"So, you got your partner to Digivolve, huh?" Elijah asked when Karuto and Barbamon sat down for dinner.

"Duh," the black haired boy replied, though his smile revealed that he was kidding.

"Wow…" Wormmon stated. They'd all seen pictures of the Demon Lords in their books, but with the exception of Beelzemon and Lucemon, they'd never thought they'd see the other Demon Lords in person. Even when they began to hatch, everyone had their slight doubts, but here was definitive, undeniable truth: the Demon Lords were, indeed, back.

"Yes, yes, I know, I'm amazing," the Demon Lord of Greed commented, sounding slightly annoyed. He'd appreciated the awe at first, but now, after many hours of being stared at by the other students, the appreciation had grown into irritation.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"He's actually kind of adorable," Tanya commented.

"If you saw him in Rage Mode, you wouldn't say that," the Digi-Destined of Sloth informed her. "Massive and kinda terrifying."

"Well, he's cute _now_," Tanya repeated.

"Now the rest of us need to Digivolve," NeoDevimon informed them.

"Yeah, well you need that D-Agent to do that, right?" Jun asked. "And that's still missing."

"Right…" Tanya said, shoulder sagging.

"Don't worry, we'll find it," Rei promised.

**Next time:  
>Tsucasa: Do you think we can do it? Make you Digivolve?<br>MegaSeadramon: Of course. You're smart, Tsucasa, you'll figure it out.  
>Tsucasa: Thanks.<br>Tanya: Simorna, watch out!**

**Yep. Here's the end of this episode. I didn't really like the very end, but… hey. What can you do, right? And anyone who has a problem with the way Belphemon's Sleep Mode works, please just work with me. I had to have a way for him to stay a Mega and be able to move through the Academy, awake or asleep, so… yeah.**

**Anyway, I'll see you guys next week~**


End file.
